Philippines to ink labor, defense deals with Israel, Jordan

MANILA, Philippines — Signing of agreements on employment, trade and defense will highlight President Duterte’s visit to Israel and Jordan next week.

Duterte will visit Israel from Sept. 2 to 5 and Jordan from Sept. 6 to 8, the first by a sitting Philippine president to both Middle Eastern countries.

The historic visit will underpin what the foreign affairs department said is the administration’s policy of being “friends to all, enemies to none.” 

“The visits will mark historic milestones, benefit trade and strengthen relationships with key partners in the Middle East,” foreign affairs undersecretary Ernesto Abella said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

Abella said the Philippines and Israel will sign agreements on the employment of Filipino caregivers, scientific cooperation and investments.

“In the future, we expect improvements in deployment procedures and the elimination of excessive placement fees imposed on Filipino workers bound for Israel. We also expect progress resulting from cooperation in the areas of science and agriculture. We also expect enhanced two-way trade and investments,” he added.

There were about 28,300 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Israel as of last year.

He said Duterte’s three-day visit to Jordan would be an opportunity for Manila to reciprocate the visit of the late King Hussein, who came to the Philippines 42 years ago.

The king’s visit in 1976 marked the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between Jordan and the Philippines.

During the visit, the two countries will sign agreements on labor, defense, foreign affairs and trade.

Abella said the labor agreement seeks to improve the working conditions of about 40,000 OFWs in Jordan.

The agreement on defense, meanwhile, is seen to upgrade the Philippines’ security capabilities. The agreement on foreign affairs will enable the Philippines and Jordan to conduct political consultations while the agreement on trade is expected to boost trade between the two countries.

The two countries will also officially recognize the Standard of Training and Certification of Watchkeepers for Seafarers, Abella said.

Duterte’s visit comes as the Middle Eastern region continues to be gripped with tensions over a longstanding territorial dispute between Israel and Palestine.