Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Visits Philippines

The visit of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the Philippines is "a milestone in the history of Philippines-Kuwait bilateral relations," said the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to Kuwait Shulan O. Primavera on Wednesday. Speaking to KUNA on the occasion of the visit, which is scheduled for March 23-24, the ambassador said the trip is expected to further strengthen the brotherly ties between the Philippines and Kuwait and promote cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic, social, and labor fields. The Philippines and Kuwait enjoy bilateral relation, which at present, is at its all time high with the first-ever visit of a Kuwaiti head of state to the Philippines, he said.

The last high-level visit between the two governments was that of Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, who represented President Benigno S. Aquino III, during the 50th Anniversary of Kuwait's Independence, 20th Anniversary of its Liberation from Iraq, and the 5th Anniversary of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's ascension to the throne, the ambassador recalled. Kuwait has been very responsive in providing assistance to the Philippines in times of national disasters, he said. "Just recently, The Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) granted financial aid to the thousands of Filipino families that were displaced by Typhoon "Sendong" that struck the Southern part of the Philippines in December 2011, he added. The KRCS committed no less than a million dollars of aid to the typhoon struck victims," noted the ambassador. The Philippine government, under the Aquino Administration, has the objective of intensifying economic diplomacy and is currently seeking potential foreign investors in development projects in the Philippines, he said. Several Kuwaiti investments in the Philippines show the developing economic relations of the Philippines and Kuwait.

Among these are the USD two billion Kuwait and Gulf Link Company (KGL) investment in Clark, its acquisition of the Negros Navigation and interest in investing in metro rail transit system, and Intishar's 500 hectare banana plantation in Davao, said the diplomat. In 2009, the Philippines opened the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Kuwait City to boost economic cooperation, in Kuwait. It operated for one year and was able to facilitate several business matching conferences between Philippine and Kuwaiti businessmen. In the same year, the Joint Trade Committee (JTC) Meeting was held in Manila where both sides had the opportunity to discuss pending issues related to trade and investment. It was the 1st JTC Meeting held after the signing of the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement in 1997.

On bilateral labour relations, Kuwait is host to more than 140,000 Filipino expatriates. The Filipinos rank the fourth largest expatriate community in Kuwait after the Indians, Egyptians, and the Bengalis. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Labor and Manpower Development between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Kuwait was signed on 14 September 1997 in Kuwait City. It was ratified on 27 October 1997 and entered into force on 21 May 1998. "The Philippines commends Kuwait's efforts to improve the protection and promotion of its expatriate labour and domestic workers," the ambassador stressed, noting that in 2009, Kuwait passed a labor law which is designed to promote the welfare of workers in the private sector in Kuwait.