President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is set to embark on a milestone three-day Official Visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on September 6-8, 2018 following his Official Visit to the State of Israel.
The President’s back-to-back historic visit, making him the first incumbent Philippine Chief Executive to set foot in the State of Israel and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, aims to bolster the Philippines’ bilateral and trade relations with its key partners in the Middle East.
In a pre-departure press briefing, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Ernesto Abella outlined the key areas to be enhanced during the President’s scheduled meeting with King Abdullah II. These include the two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on labor cooperation that would improve the working conditions of Filipino domestic workers in Jordan, and defense cooperation to upgrade the Philippines’ defense capabilities. The Philippine government will also seek political consultations on trade and investment with the Jordan Investment Commission that would enhance two-way trade and investments between the two countries, and pursue mutual recognition of the Standard of Training and Certification of Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers.
President Duterte will also meet the Filipino community in Jordan to ensure their safety amid the rising tension in the Lebanese border.
As of December 2017, the Philippine Embassy in Amman has reported around 42,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) — majority of whom are employed as household service workers — have entered the kingdom. There has also been a significant growth of OFWs in the hotel and restaurant industry, and Filipino nurses in Jordan.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries was officially established on March 1, 1976 during the visit of Jordanian King Hussein Bin Talal and Queen Alia to Manila.
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Activities in Jordan