MANILA, Philippines — Saudi Arabia will contribute to the development of the newlyformed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and will continue to help peace initiatives in Mindanao, Malacañang said in a statement.
Malacañang sought Riyadh’s help in ensuring the success of the BARMM as the Philippines and Saudi Arabia celebrated the 50th anniversary of bilateral ties.
The Palace also invited Saudi Arabia companies to invest in the Philippines’ “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, especially in projects in Mindanao.
Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Borje paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud at the Foreign Ministry in Riyadh, where the latter affirmed the importance of Philippine-Saudi Arabia bilateral relations.
Borje asked Saudi Arabia for help in the development of the BARMM, and informed them that they could invest in infrastructure projects in Mindanao.
Prince Faisal assured Philippine officials that Saudi Arabia would contribute to the development of the BARMM.
He said Saudi officials were pleased with the progress of peace efforts in Mindanao and added that the kingdom was willing to help the region.
In another development, the Philippines will sign a prisoner transfer deal, an extradition treaty and a mutual legal assistance agreement with Saudi Arabia early next year, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
A government panel led by the DOJ has concluded negotiations with a visiting Saudi delegation for the said agreements.
Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said concluding a prisoner transfer agreement was a priority because 91 Filipinos are currently imprisoned while 1,002 others are facing criminal cases in the Saudi kingdom.
Their cases have to do with unpaid loans, theft, robbery, rape, sexual abuse and drug crimes, according to Perete.
“We saw the number of individuals detained [so] we made it a priority discussion,” Perete said.