31/08/2010
Saudi-UK partners to visit Philippines
A Saudi and London-based group partners will travel to the Philippines in October to meet the country's top officials in the agriculture and trade and industry departments, according to Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor. "They will discuss with the two departments the possibility of food production in southern Philippines, with the government providing them the needed land," Villamor said.
Habib F. Faris, member of the board of the Fina Investment Asia Ltd., called on Villamor on Monday and asked how the embassy could help him and his Saudi partner, Mohammed Abunayyan, regarding the project.
Abunayyan is the chairman of the Abunayyan Commerce and Trading Co.
"Consul Romulo Victor M. Israel, Jr and I told Mr. Faris that if they traveled as a delegation from Saudi Arabia, the embassy could facilitate the issuance of their visas. The embassy could also provide them the names of officials and individuals in the public and private sectors whom they should meet in the Philippines. We could also facilitate the arrangement of meetings with the officials concerned," Villamor said.
The envoy also said the food and cereals to be produced would be imported to Saudi Arabia to complement the food production program of the Saudi government for self-sufficiency.
"The Saudi and UK-based partners are aware of the ongoing negotiations between the Saudi government and the Philippines for food production on Mindanao island, where hundreds of thousands of hectares will be utilized for food sufficiency in the Kingdom," Villamor said
