Cayetano skips talks in Kuwait for Saudi visit

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir affirm the importance of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh on Thursday.  DFA PHOTO

Amid ongoing talks in Kuwait, Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to meet with Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir.

The two-day official visit was “aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with a key Middle East partner” where almost a million Filipinos work, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

In Kuwait, the negotiations for an agreement that would give protection to hundreds of thousands overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the oil-rich Gulf nation was back on track.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who both led the Philippine delegation, announced that the Philippines and Kuwait would sign the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on May 11.

The release of Filipino diplomats and drivers involved in the controversial rescue missions of distressed OFWs was also announced.

Cayetano’s absence raised speculations that the foreign secretary was sidelined in the talks in Kuwait.

The DFA did not respond to questions on whether or not Cayetano was excluded from the talks. The Office of Public Diplomacy only released a photo of Cayetano while meeting with Al-Jubeir in Riyadh.

When asked why the country’s top diplomat was not in Kuwait to join the delegation, Roque said Cayetano was not in the itinerary to join the meeting.

“He is on official business in Saudi Arabia. I do know that he was in the company also of Secretary [Datu Abul Khayr Dangcal]  Alonto kasi kasabay namin sa eroplano si Secretary Alonto at papunta sila ng Riyadh (because we were on the plane with Secretary Alonto and they were going to Riyadh),” Roque told Palace reporters in a video interview.

On Wednesday, Cayetano said that part of the reason why he insisted on visiting Saudi Arabia was to ensure the safety of Filipinos amid the missile attacks in the kingdom.

READ: Filipinos in Saudi Arabia told to be vigilant amid Houthi missile attacks

He said his visit was planned, but it was stalled when the Philippines chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean).

“Mukha lang naman kami ng negotiation (We are just a face in the negotiation),” Cayetano said when asked about calls for him to resign over the Kuwait mess.

“This is a team effort. Sa team effort meron talagang mabango, merong good guy, may bad guy, may masungit, may mabait (there are really good guys and bad guys. There are people who are combative and there are people who are kind). That’s the way diplomacy works all around the world,” he said.

Cayetano’s DFA came under heavy fire over the controversial video of Filipino diplomats rescuing distressed OFWs that angered Kuwait and resulted in the expulsion of Ambassador Renato Villa.

There were calls for Cayetano to resign over the diplomatic mess, but the Palace insisted that there was no reason for the foreign secretary to resign.

READ: No reason for Cayetano to resign — Palace