President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo leaves Wednesday for a three-country trip to secure the welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and strengthen bilateral relations with the nations to be visited.

The first leg of President Arroyo's journey will bring her to Turkey upon the invitation of Turkish President Abdullah Gul. The two chief executives will meet to discuss expanding bilateral relations, including the Philippines' bid for observer status in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) aimed at ending the separatist movement in Southern Philippines.

The President will then proceed to the United Kingdom to deliver a keynote address in "The Emerging Markets Summit" hosted by London news magazine "The Economist" on September 17-18, 2009. She will join five other heads of emerging economies who have confirmed participation in the summit, namely Thailand, Ukraine, Tunisia, Turkey, and Rwanda. The theme of the conference is "Globalization Redefined by Emerging Markets." Over 300 business leaders and investors from all over the world are expected to participate in this forum, giving the President the opportunity to share the Philippines' view on Asia's leadership in the global economic recovery and to promote the Philippines as an investment destination.

The President is expected to highlight the resiliency and continued growth of the Philippine economy, which reported continuous positive economic growth in the second quarter of 2009, three times the median of expected growth during the current global economic downturn.

On the occasion of the President's visit, two bilateral agreements will be signed, which will intensify legal cooperation between the Philippines and the United Kingdom. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo and British First Secretary of State Lord Mandelson will sign the RP-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and the RP-UK Extradition Treaty. President Arroyo will witness the signing of these two agreements. President Arroyo will meet with members of the Filipino community – there are about 200,000 Filipinos in the United Kingdom, 70 percent of whom are in the Greater London area – and encourage them to further contribute to the continued economic resiliency of the country.

From London, President Arroyo will proceed on September 21-23, 2009, to Saudi Arabia upon the invitation of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. The President will grace the inauguration of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, on September 23.

The inauguration will coincide with the celebration of Saudi National Day and the Eid El-Fitr, marking the end of holy month of Ramadan. President Arroyo will take up with King Abdullah the further strengthening of bilateral relations, including closer economic cooperation as well as the welfare of an estimated one million Filipino workers in that country.

Relations between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia have remained robust since October 24, 1969.

The two countries share common interests in international organizations and have stood on the same side on many issues in the United Nations and other international forums. Saudi Arabia, through its membership in the OIC Ministerial Committee of Six, which facilitated the forging of Government of the Republic of the Philippines-Moro National Liberation Front (GRP-MNLF) peace agreement, has been a supporter of the peace process and development in Southern Philippines.

We wish President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Delegation bon voyage and a safe trip to Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia. We wish her success in all her endeavors.