[gallery size="full" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="61926,61927"]On the occasion of the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence Day this year, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, led by Ezzedin H. Tago, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, hosted a Diplomatic Reception, which was attended by the Emir of Riyadh Prince Faisal Bin Bandar and other guests from the various Diplomatic Missions in Riyadh on May 23 at the Tuwaiq Palace, Diplomatic Quarter. The event was also attended by officials from the different Saudi government offices and the Saudi business community. The theme for this year's celebration, "Kalayaan 2016: Pagkakaisa, Pagaambagan, Pagsulong", aims to further strengthen the unity of the Filipinos and to contribute for further advance the progress of the Philippines to continue its current stature in the global community. As it celebrates the special day, the Philippine Embassy noted the close relations between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia with pride and patriotism welling up in the hearts of Filipinos in the Kingdom. The Philippines and Saudi Arabia have been enjoying good bilateral ties since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in October 1969. Over the years, the relationship between the two countries have grown strong as they collaborate, coordinate and cooperate in various fields of endeavors — political, labor, trade and investment and culture — for their mutual benefits. On the political aspect, the two countries share common interests in international and multilateral organizations. They have been on the same side on many issues in the United Nations and other international fora. On many occasions, both countries have supported each other's candidatures in various UN agencies and world bodies. Saudi Arabia has been supporting the peace process in the Southern Philippines as a leading member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Through its active membership in the OIC Quadripartite Committee, the Kingdom assisted in facilitating GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement signed in September 1996. Since then, Saudi Arabia has been contributing significantly to the Mindanao peace process and the developments in Mindanao. The Kingdom continues its active participation and involvement in the Mindanao peace process when in November 2011 it joined the International Contact Group (ICG) for the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The ICG, which is composed of states and international non-governmental organizations, observes the conduct of peace talks, provide advice to both sides, and mobilize support for the peace process. On March 27, 2014, the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) was signed between the Philippine government and the MILF after 17 years of on and off peace talks. The GPH and the MILF peace panels, along with the ICG representatives, met in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 29-30, 2016, for a special meeting where they signed a Declaration of the Continuity of the Partnership of the GPH and MILF in the Bangsamoro Peace Process. Saudi Arabia is also a source of potential assistance for development in the Southern Philippines, particularly through the Islamic Development Bank and the Saudi Fund for Development. These two agencies have provided financial assistance for the development projects in Mindanao. The Philippines has also been a recipient of the Saudi government's humanitarian aid, such as donations for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in November 2013. In labor sector, Saudi Arabia remains host to the largest community of Filipino workers overseas. Based on official Saudi statistics in 2015, there are some 852,023 OFWs working and residing in Saudi Arabia, mainly in the construction and healthcare sectors. Both countries have continuously worked to maintain partnership, especially for the benefit of the Filipino workers in the Kingdom. Filipinos make up the fourth-largest group of foreigners in Saudi Arabia and are the second-largest source of remittances to the Philippines. The signing of the Agreement on Domestic Worker Recruitment between the Ministry of Labor of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Department of Labor and Employment of the Republic of the Philippines on May 19, 2013, is a significant milestone in the field of labor cooperation between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia and in the protection and promotion of the rights of household workers. In trade, Saudi Arabia ranked the 10th as the Philippines' biggest trading partner in 2012. The Kingdom offers bright prospects in the exports of Philippine products and services. There are bright opportunities for construction labor services and other areas for the implementation of mega projects under the recently-launched "Saudi Vision 2030". In cultural sector, thousands Muslim Filipino pilgrims travel every year to the Kingdom to perform annual Haj and/or Umrah. This has started even long before the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1969 when Muslims from Mindanao used to undergo long journey by sea that usually took months to perform Haj pilgrimage in the Islam holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. In tourism, the Philippines launched "The Philippine Halal Tourism Project" at the opening day of Madrid Fusion Manila 2016 in SMX Convention Center, Pasay City on April 8, 2016. The project, spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), aims to welcome the Halal conscious travelers from the neighboring ASEAN region and the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, to destinations all over the country. The DOT and NCMF have now partnered with Halal International Chamber of Commerce and Industries of the Philippines, Inc. (HICCIP) and the "CrescentRating", a tourism authority on Halal travel, to help launch a destination marketing campaign. The arrival of Saudi visitors to the Philippines has also been growing. In 2015, a total of 50,884 Saudis came to visit the Philippines as compared to 27,945 Saudi visitors 1who came in 2011.
