Manama, Bahrain, 6 November 2004 –Taking time from his official meetings with high Bahraini government officials, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo visited the current site of the AMA International University in Bahrain, as well as its much larger, future site.

Accompanied by Special Envoy for the Gulf States, Ambassador Amable Aguiluz III, Secretary Romulo met with some of the student leaders of the AMA International University.

“The AMA University student body is composed of students not only from Bahrain but also from other Middle East countries.  With the expansion of the AMA campus, I anticipate that the AMA University will prove to be a formidable beachhead in the Middle East for the best that Philippine education has to offer,” Secretary Romulo said.

The Secretary said that the educational efforts of the AMA group in Bahrain have generated a lot of goodwill and friendships that will redound to the benefit of the Philippines in the long run.

“We may not be global power, but through our overseas Filipinos and the efforts of international educators like Ambassador Aguiluz, we are a global nation with a global reach,” the Secretary said.  The AMA International University offers degrees in information technology, medicine, business administration and medicine, among others.

The new campus of the AMA International University in Bahrain will cover 5.7 hectares and hopes to begin enrolling students by September 2006.

“By any standard, the achievements of the AMA group in Bahrain are impressive and deserve our full support,” the Secretary said.

The Secretary is currently in Bahrain for talks with Bahraini officials on bilateral and other issues.END