3 July 2005, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo today received the assurance of the Saudi Minister of Justice for greater cooperation in guaranteeing the safety, rights and welfare of Filipinos in Saudi.

Meeting today with Saudi Justice Minister Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohamad bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, Secretary Romulo conveyed the strong desire of the Philippine government that Filipinos in the Kingdom be given the full protection of the law. Dr. Abdullah, on his part, agreed to further boost the cooperative efforts between the Philippines and Saudi government on behalf of Filipino workers in the Kingdom.  Secretary Romulo flew to Saudi Arabia from Yemen last July 1, where he attended the 32nd Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers. The Secretary is in the Saudi capital on an official visit to discuss issues of particular concern to the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

“One of the objectives of my visit is to meet and coordinate with the officials directly involved in protecting the rights and welfare of our workers.  One of these officials is the Minister of Justice, who agreed to boost our cooperation on behalf of our workers in the Kingdom,” the Secretary said.

“In doing so, we not only make sure that the President’s agenda of creating jobs is implemented, but we also ensure the success of the President’s anti-human trafficking drive,” Secretary Romulo said.

Last Friday in Manila, President Arroyo said that the Philippines must exert more effort and implement its laws more strongly if it wants to be struck off a US human trafficking blacklist. Speaking at a ceremony on US-Philippine cooperation against trafficking, President Arroyo told US diplomats she recognized the country had to do more to tackle the problem.

Echoing the sentiments of the President, Secretary Romulo said that "we know exactly what needs to be done. We have a good law. In cooperation with destination countries, we will prevent human trafficking and place human traffickers behind bars.” The Secretary added that often, Filipinos who are victims of illegal recruiters are the ones who end up displaced or exploited in host countries.

“Minister Abdullah acknowledges the important contribution that Filipinos continue to make to the growth and progress of Saudi Arabia and value the strong work ethics and professionalism of Filipino workers.  Minister Abdullah and the Saudi government recognize that it is their obligation to protect the rights of our workers and they are eager to cooperate with us in this area.” the Secretary said. END
 
 

/jay