At the invitation of the Government of
the State of Israel, the President of the Republic of the Philippines, H.E.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte, paid an official visit to Israel between September 2 to 5,
2018.
The Philippine President held talks with the
Prime Minister of the State of Israel, H.E. Benjamin Netanyahu where both leaders
acknowledged the strong historic ties between the two countries and peoples.
Both leaders affirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation
between the Philippines and Israel in pursuit of their common objectives such
as: security, sustainable and equitable economic growth and legal and
transparent recruitment of Filipino workers for temporary employment in Israel.
President Duterte and Prime Minister
Netanyahu acknowledged the close people-to-people ties that underpin the bilateral
relations, dating back to then Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon’s “Open
Doors Policy” in 1937, which saved over 1,200 Jewish lives by opening the
Philippines as a refuge for those fleeing the Holocaust in Europe. Both leaders
acknowledged with satisfaction the 60th anniversary of Diplomatic Relations
between the two countries.
The two leaders agreed to continue to
work towards transforming the historic ties into a vibrant, progressive
bilateral relationship, anchored on continuous friendship and mutual goals. The
two leaders witnessed the signing of agreements on the legal and transparent
recruitment of Filipino caregivers for temporary employment in Israel, direct investment
promotion, and science and technology.
Both leaders agreed that negotiations on
a Bilateral Framework Agreement and Implementation Protocol for the temporary
employment of Filipino workers in the hotel sector in Israel as per proposals
sent by Israel to the Philippines will be conducted by the end of 2018. The
Agreement and Implementation Protocol will include mechanisms, which will
provide legal, transparent and well-informed recruitment procedures for the
Filipino workers.
The Philippines, as a leading economy in
South East Asia, and Israel, as a leading economy in the Middle East have great
potential to increase trade, investments, R&D and other forms of economic
cooperation between them. Therefore, the two leaders agreed to finalize an
agreement which will establish a Joint Economic Commission with the aim of
achieving these goals. Representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Industry
of Israel and representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry of the
Philippines will Co-Chair the commission, which will meet at a date to be
agreed by the Chairs, in the Philippines and in Israel, alternately.
Recognizing that many environmental
issues require cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels and that such
cooperation can contribute not only to the protection of the environment at
local and national levels but also at a global level, both leaders expressed their
wish to further explore the possibility of cooperating in the field of
environmental protection, inter alia, by considering negotiating a
government to government agreement in the future.
President Duterte and Prime Minister Netanyahu have invited each
other's people to visit the Philippines and Israel as tourists, and enjoy each
other's country's special cultural and natural heritage, beauty and unique
hospitality. The leaders believe that direct flights between the countries will
be instrumental in increasing and facilitating the mutual flow of tourism.
President Duterte expressed his
appreciation to the Government and people of the State of Israel for the warm
hospitality extended to him during his visit and invited Prime Minister
Netanyahu to visit the Philippines. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the President
for his historic visit, the first of a Philippine President to Israel. He also conveyed
Israel's gratitude for the Philippines' support for the establishment of the
state of Israel in 1947 and for the warm relations developed between the two countries
and peoples since then.
Issued in Jerusalem on 3 September 2018.
_________________________________________________________________________
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (Monday, 3 September 2018), at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, met with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and made the following remarks at the start of their meeting:
"President Duterte, welcome to Israel, welcome to Jerusalem.
We mark that this is the first visit by a president of the Philippines in the history of Israel. It is deeply appreciated. We remember the exceptional role of the Philippines that received Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. We remember that the Philippines was the only Asian country that voted for the establishment of the State of Israel in the UN resolution in 1947. Mr. President, we remember our friends. And that friendship has blossomed over the years, and especially over the last few years.
We’re going to sign here today three important agreements, in trade, in science and, no less important, in caregiving. There has been a remarkable phenomenon in Israel where thousands and thousands of families have taken heart from the support given by Filipino care workers to the elderly. I am one of those families, Mr. President. My late father, who died at the age of 102, in his later years received incredible care by a caregiver from the Philippines, Lee, a woman of exceptional compassion and intelligence. She took care of my father’s every need. And when he passed away, she took care of his brother’s needs, until he passed away.
I, like many, many Israeli families, am deeply moved by this show of humanity. And today we’re going to sign an agreement that will knock off as much as $12,000 from the cost of every caregiver. This is money that is taken away from the caregivers and the families, the Israeli families who so want their service. This is an exceptional agreement and I think it heralds the kind of friendship that we are developing.
In that spirit Mr. President, I welcome you; welcome to Jerusalem."
Three bilateral agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Philippines President Duterte:
1) The Bilateral Agreement for the Temporary Employment of Filipino Home-Based Caregivers in Israel, which will completely cancel all fees paid to agents and will save thousands of shekels. The agreement will assist the elderly and those in need of caregiving in Israel and ill have positive repercussions on similar agreements with other countries in the future.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Secretary of Labor and Employment Silvestre Hernando Bello signed for Israel and the Philippines, respectively.
2) A Memorandum of Understanding on Scientific Cooperation which will encourage and establish scientific cooperation programs between the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology and the Philippines Department of Science and Technology.
Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano signed for Israel and the Philippines, respectively.
3) A Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Encouraging Bilateral Investments between Invest in Israel of the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry Foreign Investment and Industrial Cooperation Authority and Philippines Department of Trade and Industry Board of Investments.
Economy and Industry Minister Eli Cohen and Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez signed for Israel and the Philippines, respectively.