Despite Oil Decline, Gulf States Remain Key to Philippine Growth Strategy

Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, went on his first visit to the Gulf last month, spending six days in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain. In an email interview, Aaron Jed Rabena, resident fellow at the Ateneo Teehankee Center for the Rule of Law and associate fellow at the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations, explains what was on the agenda, including protections for migrant workers and the conflict in the southern Mindanao region. WPR: How have ties been between the Philippines and the Gulf evolved in recent decades, and what have been past areas of cooperation? Aaron Jed Rabena: Traditionally, […]