Malacañang yesterday said four government-to-government
agreements will be signed during the two-day state visit of Qatari Emir His
Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to the Philippines.
President
Benigno S. Aquino III is the first Philippine president to receive a Qatari
Emir in the country with the state visit of Sheikh Hamad.
Among
the Cabinet officials who welcomed the Qatari Emir yesterday in Malacañang were
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Transportation and Communications
Secretary Mar Roxas, and Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo.
Presidential
spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the four Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) that
will be signed between Qatar and the Philippines are: tourism cooperation;
cooperation in the legal field; cooperation on agriculture and fisheries; and
investment cooperation.
The MOU
on tourism "shall create favorable conditions for long-term cooperation in
tourism for the mutual benefit of the Philippines and Qatar," Lacierda
said.
That on
legal cooperation, seeks to encourage the sharing of experiences and best
practices in the performance of the mandates of each countries respected
ministry or department of justice.
The MOU
on agriculture and fisheries cooperation, on the other hand, aims to foster
sectoral development and enhance agri-related trade and investment. Among the
areas of cooperation are crops technology, vegetable and fruit preservation,
biotechnology, post harvest technology, livestock and fisheries, coastal and
deep-sea fishing management, irrigation and water resources, and the halal
industry.
The
last government-to-government cooperation concerns investment and will be
between the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Government of the
Republic and Qatar Holding Limited Liability Corporation.
"This
MOU would explore the investment opportunities in the Philippines in various
sectors including natural resources, commodities, energy, agriculture,
infrastructure," Lacierda said.
The
Palace official, meanwhile, said there will also be a private sector agreement
on the establishment of a joint business council between the Philippine Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Qatari Chamber of Commerce and
Industry. There will also be another MOU between a private entity in Qatar and
Century Properties.
A state
dinner in honor of Sheikh Hamad was scheduled at the Rizal Ceremonial Hall of
Malacañang last night.
Prior
to his visit to the Philippines, Sheikh Hamad visited India last April 8.
Born on
January 1, 1952, Sheikh Hamad has been the Emir of Qatar since 1995. He has
three wives and 24 children.
There
are an estimated 180,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) working in Qatar, or
about 12 percent of Qatar’s 1.5 million total population. Filipinos in Qatar
are working in the fields of construction, information technology,
telecommunicat5ions, hotel, banking, and as house help.
MADEL
R. SABATER
mb.com.ph
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