PRESIDENT Duterte is set to meet Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation on areas of economic development, trade and investments, labor, defense and security, and law enforcement.
This visit is marked as historic because this is the first-ever visit of a Filipino president in the 61 years of diplomatic relations
with Israel.
After the President’s visit to Israel, which ends on September 5, he will immediately go to visit Jordan until September 8.
The Jordan visit of the President is also the first by a Philippine President.
In his departure statement before embarking on weeklong official visits to two countries, the President also said he shall seek to fully maximize economic cooperation and realize trade potential with both Israel and Jordan.
At least 13 to 15 bilateral private- sector agreements are expected to be signed during the Israel trip, according to Philippine Ambassador to Israel Nathaniel Imperial.
“A business delegation from different sectors of the Philippine economy will be there in order to explore the diverse trade and investment opportunities that make Jordan and Israel more tempting to offer,” President Duterte said. “Of course, we will invite their business leaders to look at our own rich market potential.”
Imperial said a bilateral labor agreement for caregivers is also expected to be signed.
“This hopefully will ensure that the exploitative placement fees that are being charged to our workers would be substantially reduced, if not eliminated. It will be a government-to-government agreement. So private recruitment agencies will no longer be involved in the recruitment process,” Imperial said.
Noting that there are about 28,000 Filipinos in Israel and 48,000 Filipinos in Jordan, Duterte said “there’s a volatile situation there and we have to be sure that our citizens are fully protected.”
Moreover, in his trip to Jordan and in his meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II, Duterte said he is looking forward to discussing ways of advancing cooperation in the key areas of improving defense and security, sustaining growth, addressing transnational crime, intensifying trade and investments and enhancing labor cooperation.
“With more than 2 million Filipinos [working] in that region, I intend to emphasize the great importance that the Philippines attaches to maintaining peace and stability in the region,” he said.
During the official visits, the President is also scheduled to meet the Filipino communities in Israel and Jordan.
“In my meeting with the Filipino communities, I shall renew my pledge to do my utmost to bring the change we desire in our country, in ourselves as a people. I will ask them to continue to be our partners for growth, progress and change,” he said.
On Monday (September 3) the President is also scheduled to visit Yad Vashem—“The World Holocaust.”
On Tuesday the President is set to meet Israel President Reuven Rivlin. Before departing to Jordan on Wednesday, the President is set to participate in a wreath-laying event at Open Doors Monument at Holocaust Memorial Park.