MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will travel to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 19, to attend the inaugural summit between Southeast Asian leaders and Gulf states on Friday, October 20.

In a pre-departure briefing on Monday, October 16, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said the President is expected to put a positive word on his administration’s flagship legislation – the country’s newly established sovereign wealth fund.

“Part of the discussion could be the presentation of the Maharlika fund to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its businesses, the protection of our nationals abroad, especially in terms of labor reforms being proposed for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Arab assistance to the development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” Espiritu said.  

The President might hold bilateral meetings with officials of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to talk about the Philippines’ diplomatic relationships with the two nations, and is expected to meet with the Filipino community in Riyadh before the start of the summit.

The relationship between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) dates back to 1990, and the ASEAN-GCC Summit aims to optimize cooperation between the two regional organizations.

“It is very important because the GCC is composed of highly developed Arab economies, and they are petrochemical powerhouses. They can help ASEAN in addressing energy and food security,” Espiritu said.

Asked if Filipinos could expect oil price rollbacks after Marcos’ trip, he added: “Indirectly, yes, because the basic root of the high energy prices are shortages and instability in the region. If the two regional organizations can cooperate on that… we can assure ASEAN of continued and consistent volume of supply throughout the year.”

Marcos’ visit to Middle East comes as the region grapples with the worst flare-up between Israel and Gaza in years. The current Israel-Hamas war has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people in the past week, with no signs of tension easing.

Espiritu said “current developments in the Middle East” are expected to be raised in the ASEAN-GCC Summit, but “these countries are not exactly directly involved in the conflict, so probably the discussion will dwell on generalities.”

This will be Marcos’ ninth foreign trip in 2023, and the 15th since he rose to the country’s top post, prompting some groups and netizens to call him a jet-setting chief executive.

Countries he visited this year include China, Switzerland, Japan, United States, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Marcos is set to visit the US again in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and the United Arab Emirates in December for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

In 2022, he spent over P392.3 million in international travel. For 2024, the Office of the President is seeking P1.408 billion for trips and state visits.

Malacañang has justified his trips abroad, with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin saying these “will yield job-creating investments that will hasten our post-pandemic economic recovery.” – Rappler.com