MANILA: The Philippines seeks to broaden its cooperation with Saudi Arabia in green energy and digital infrastructure, President Ferdinand Marcos said on Thursday, after meeting the Kingdom’s top diplomat in Manila.
On his first official visit to the Southeast Asian nation, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan was received by the Philippine president at the Malacanang Palace.
“We are eager to strengthen our ties and broaden our collaboration, particularly in green energy, digital infrastructure, and agriculture,” Marcos said on Facebook after the meeting.
He also expressed “sincere gratitude” for the Saudi government’s concern for the welfare of overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia.
More than 860,000 Filipinos live in Saudi Arabia, constituting the largest Philippine diaspora in the Middle East. The Kingdom is the favorite destination for overseas Filipino workers, followed by the UAE and Kuwait.
The Saudi Press Agency reported that Prince Faisal had thanked officials in Manila “for the support of the Republic of the Philippines for the Kingdom’s candidacy to host the Expo 2030 in Riyadh.”
After Marcos, the Saudi FM met his counterpart, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.
Following the meeting, Manalo took to Twitter to say they had “discussed the active engagement between our two countries and opportunities to further economic cooperation in support of our devt (development) goals.”
Saudi Arabia has been inspiring many countries with its programs to pivot away from dependency on fossil fuels and develop a sophisticated digital infrastructure under Vision 2030.
The Philippines, which derives most of its electricity generation from coal, has been looking for ways to increase the percentage of clean power in its own energy mix.
