Philippines-Saudi Arabia relations is unique and really one of its kind. Republic of the Philippines is practically dependent on the petroleum products of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest supplier of oil. On the other hand, Philippines is branded as the world’s second largest exporter of Overseas Workers, that helped her to survive economically. The inhabitants of these countries have centuries-old trading relations. Moreover, cultural and religious ties of the two nations-states is an indispensable element, Saudi Arabia being the care-taker of the Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madina, visited by the able Muslims in the world to perform pilgrimage (hajj) including the Muslims in the Philippines as one of the pillars in Islam.
This research paper attempts to prove the existence of a foundation of mutual benefits in the diplomatic and consular ties of the Philippines and the Saudi Arabia during the administrations of President Ferdinand E. Marcos to that of President Fidel V. Ramos, from 1968 to 1998, and examines the provability of strengthening that relationship. Thus, it is designed to answer the following: 1) How Philippines-Saudi Arabia relations have mutually benefited each other; 2) What the impediments are in the tie-up between the two-politically independent states; 3) How these relations are turned into politically, economically, and socio-culturally productive partnership and cooperation between Philippines and Saudi Arabia; and (4) What the implications are of these ties to the two nation-states.
This work is not only essential because of its probable contributions to the realm of history, economics, politics and governance in general and in the field of diplomatic history of the Philippines and Saudi Arabia in particular, that would help in opening an avenue towards the challenging field of research, but also because of its uniqueness and relevance nowadays, not to mention its probable input in widening the horizon of the concerned, the governing and the governed.
This research paper attempts to prove the existence of a foundation of mutual benefits in the diplomatic and consular ties of the Philippines and the Saudi Arabia during the administrations of President Ferdinand E. Marcos to that of President Fidel V. Ramos, from 1968 to 1998, and examines the provability of strengthening that relationship. Thus, it is designed to answer the following: 1) How Philippines-Saudi Arabia relations have mutually benefited each other; 2) What the impediments are in the tie-up between the two-politically independent states; 3) How these relations are turned into politically, economically, and socio-culturally productive partnership and cooperation between Philippines and Saudi Arabia; and (4) What the implications are of these ties to the two nation-states.
This work is not only essential because of its probable contributions to the realm of history, economics, politics and governance in general and in the field of diplomatic history of the Philippines and Saudi Arabia in particular, that would help in opening an avenue towards the challenging field of research, but also because of its uniqueness and relevance nowadays, not to mention its probable input in widening the horizon of the concerned, the governing and the governed.
A portion of a final paper in Political Science 260 under Prof. Grace Gorospe Jamon, Ph.D., at the Department of Political Science, CSSP, University of the Philippines (2002). This research work was geared towards the author's Master's Thesis at UP-Diliman.
