Aguiluz retains post as special envoy of Gulf Cooperation Council

Dr. Amable Aguiluz V , takes his oath as the Special Envoy of the President to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). GCC is the  aggrupation of 6 states in the Arab Gulf, namely: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Kuwait and the State of Qatar.

Dr. Aguiluz held the same position from 2003-2010.   All the missions undertaken by the Special Envoy during this period were carried out and accomplished at no expense to the Philippine Government. These were all fully funded from the personal finances of Dr. Aguiluz and the AMA Foundation, Inc.

Among the major accomplishments of Dr. Aguiluz are:

1. The lifting of the visa ban on OFW’s by the government of the Sultanate of Oman successfully negotiated by the Special Envoy to the GCC led to the increase of OFW deployment to OMAN from 3,500 to 60,000.

2. US $ 1 Million grant by the Bahrain government to the Philippine Government on representation by the Special Envoy to the GCC. The Grant was extended specifically for the following projects to benefit Muslim Filipinos: 1) Greater Manila Area (GMA) Muslim Center. 2) various projects in Bukidnon Province, 3) medical facility in Tawi-Tawi, and 4) establishment of a Muslim cemetery in Quezon City (Montalban, Rizal). 

3. US $50,000 grant to Typhoon Reming victims in 2005. This was used for the construction of six classrooms in Baler (2) and Dingalan (4), in the province of Aurora. 

4. Successfully facilitated the ratification of the Treaty on the Avoidance of Double Taxation between the Philippines and Bahrain, enhancing the take-home income of Filipinos and encouraging their ability to further support the Philippine government.

5. US $16 Million grant by the Islamic Development Bank, previously awarded to the ARMM and already lapsed, was revived and extended upon the representation of the Special Envoy.

6. Establishment of the GCC Philippine Economic and Investment Center (GPEIC) with the mutual vision of promoting bilateral trade and investment between the GCC states and the Philippines.

7. Lobbied for the involvement of the Philippines in the GCC TROIKA in September 2004. This resulted to the ASEAN-GCC Ministerial Meetings, the first in Bahrain on 29-30 June 2009 and the second in Singapore on 31 May to 1 June 2010.

Because of his accomplishments, Dr. Aguiluz was conferred the following awards:

Medallion of Bahrain

Conferred by His Majesty the King of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa and presented by Prime Minister H.H. Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa in recognition of Dr. Aguiluz’ efforts to strengthen cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of the Philippines and in appreciation of his commitment to bolster education in the Middle East.

Presidential Medal of Merit

Conferred by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in recognition of his achievements in the field of international diplomacy and OFW welfare.

The major accomplishments resulted to positive impacts on the Philippine Economy, diplomatic interventions on behalf of OFWs and strengthened bilateral relations between the Philippines the individual GCC member-countries.

The Special Envoy also generously extended financial and other forms of assistance to OFWs and their families like scholarship grants and tuition fee discounts.

The Special Envoy still has a lot of things to do and has several concerns to address in order to enhance bilateral relations and protect the welfare of the millions of OFWs in the GCC countries.

DIPLOMATIC INTERVENTION ON BEHALF OF OFWs WITH POSITIVE REPERCUSSIONS TO RP-GCC COUNTRIES RELATIONSHIP

1. Paved the way for the lifting of the visa ban on OFWs in the Sultanate of Oman in early May 2004.

2. Facilitated the air talks in December 2009 that resulted to the approval of 17 additional direct flights between the Philippines and Oman.

3. Successfully negotiated the release of the 23 jailed Filipino seamen in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.

4. Successfully negotiated the release in August 2003, from UAE jail of Pastor Fernando Alconga, who was imprisoned for distributing religious materials in the UAE.

5. Hastened the shipment of the human remains of the three victims of the terrorist bombing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in May 2003.

6. Successfully negotiated with the family of Sarah Dematera’s victim to accept blood money in exchange for here release and repatriation. On 10 May 2006, was able to secure the court order from the Jude of Al Hasa Court staying the execution of Dematera.

7.  Accompanied VP Noli De Castro to negotiate with the family/lawyers of the victim of Marilou Ranario in exchange for her release and repatriation. Assisted in the backdoor negotiation that commuted the death sentence of Ranario to life imprisonment in December 2007 after a personal appeal of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during her four-hour visit to Kuwait.

8. Assisted in the backdoor negotiation for the royal pardon or sentence commutation of May Vecina, who was later granted full pardon by the Kuwaiti Emir in June 2009.

9. Conducted backdoor negotiations that facilitated the release of hostages Angelo dela Cruz in July 2004 and Robert Tarongoy in June 2005 from their Iraqi abductors.

10. Met with Filipino communities in the 6 GCC countries regarding their long-term concerns, and also persuaded them to support the various programs of the Arroyo Administration so that it could further help improve their living conditions in their respective host countries.

 STRENGTHENING BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH GCC COUNTRIES

1. At the GASERC (Gulf Arab States Educational Research Center), based in Kuwait, presented proposals for the Philippines and Kuwait to engage in collaborative efforts in the field of education relating to curriculum development, research and IT development.

2. Secured pledge from the Kuwaiti (Government) Fund to accept more project proposals from the Philippines to be financed from the remaining US $ 20 Million out of the original US $ 45 Million. The Special Envoy offered assistance from the Philippine government to hasten the preparation and submission of project proposals in compliance with Fund requirements. 

3. Initiated talks with the Bahrain Ministry of Education regarding the exchange of experts in Vocational-Technical Education towards a long-term partnership between the Philippines and Bahrain in the field of educational development.

4. Successfully arranged with the officials of the Bahrain Monetary Authority for the Authority to conduct training on Islamic banking for Filipino bank officials, as well as obtained their support for the Philippine Amanah Bank.

5. Assisted in the preparation of, and actively participated in, the STATE VISITS of the President to the Kingdom of Bahrain on 14-15 December 2003 and 3-4 February 2009.

6. Arranged for the exchange of business and trade delegations between Bahrain, Qatar and Oman and the Philippines.

7. Organized a trade mission to Bahrain on May 25-28, 2008 as Chairman of the Philippine-Bahrain Business Council.

8. Assisted in locating the whereabouts in the Philippines of Gina Ledesma Cepeda (and daughter Methaq Reyadh Ahmed Ali Musain Khalfa), who is being searched by her Bahraini husband, Riyadh Ahmed Ali Khalfa.

9. Provided immediate assistance to distressed Bahraini, Mohsen Abdulkarim Mohsen Almukharreq through accommodation, meals, allowance and return air ticket to Bahrain.

10. Headed the Philippine delegation to the First ASEAN-GCC Ministerial Meeting on 29-30 June 2009 in Manama, Bahrain attended by the Ministers, high-level representatives of ASEAN and GCC Member States and the Secretaries-General of ASEAN and GCC.   The meeting explored the possibility of establishing an ASEAN-GCC cooperation framework and a trade agreement; and to foster people-to-people ties, and tourism.

11. Assisted Bahrain’s Envoy, Amb. Yousif Adel Sater, in handing the donation of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa amounting to P25Million to Ondoy and Pepeng victims in 2009.

12. Lobbied the Philippine Congress for the establishment of a Philippine Consulate in Dubai, UAE.

13. Participated in the reciprocal trade visits of the two countries on: (1) October 2005 in Saudi Arabia which coincided with the 2nd RP-KSA Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and (2) Feb 27 to Mar 3, 2005 featuring Manila and Davao companies engaged in industry investment, telecommunication, manufacturing, tourism, information technology, trading, garments, foodstuffs, agriculture, manufacturing, travel agency, real estate and recruitment.

14. Accompanied the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in meeting the Prime Minister of Bahrain and in appealing through the Al-Jazeera Network in Qatar for the release of Angelito Nayan from captivity of Iraqi militants.

15. Organized and hosted a luncheon meeting on 17 March 2010 for ASEAN and GCC Ministers and Heads of Delegation to the Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting (SNAMMM). The meeting seeks to address the existing, new and emerging challenges to the promotion of a culture of peace and development.

16. Made representations with the support of His Royal Highness, the Prime Minister of Bahrain, for the bid for permanent observer status of the Philippines in the OIC.

THE SPECIAL ENVOY’S FINANCIAL AND OTHER FORMS OF ASSISTANCE TO OFWs AND THEIR FAMILIES

1. Successfully arranged with the employer of the late Rogelio Pababero, one of the Riyadh bombing victims, for a lifetime pension of P22, 000.00 monthly for his widow.

2. Donated in his personal capacity P120, 000 each to the families of the three Riyadh bombing victims.

3. Provided over One Million Pesos worth of scholarship in AMA schools and employment to the next of kin of the Riyadh bombing victims.

4. Provided scholarships worth half a million pesos to the families of the Filipino victims in the May 2004 terrorist attack in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

5. Donated from AMA Foundation the amount of P2.5Million for the blood money in exchange for the release and repatriation of Sarah Dematera.

6. Donated UAE Dirhams 100,000 or Php1.5 million for the release of the 23 Filipino seamen victimized and jailed in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.

7. Further extended financial assistance from his personal funds for the airfare and bail requirements of 3 of the victimized Filipinos arrested in UAE.

8. Granted over P10, 000,000 worth of scholarship in AMA Schools and employment to the next of kin of the Riyadh and Al Khobar bombing victims and also to the dependents of the 23 jailed Filipinos in UAE.

9. Assisted Filipinos in distress in KSA and UAE.

10. IRAQ. Negotiated with the employer of Robert Tarongoy the granting of financial support during and after captivity.

11. Granted over P20, 000,000 worth of Scholarship and Tuition Fee Discounts to dependents of OFW under the AMA-KABAYAN Scholarship Program.

MATTERS NEEDING FURTHER ACTION BY THE SPECIAL ENVOY TO GCC

1. Collaborative efforts towards the exchange of IT education experts between Bahrain and the Philippines.   Tentative schedule of exchange visits is December 2010.

2. Proposed collaboration with Qatar on educational projects to uplift the quality of education in Qatar.

3. Continue representation with the RULERS of each of the six GCC countries towards strongly supporting the Philippines’ bid for eventual permanent observer status in the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC).

4. Continue assistance towards the completion of amendments to existing Air Protocol Agreements between the Philippines and all GCC countries.

5. Continue pro-active representations with the Chambers of Commerce of the GCC Countries to encourage trade. Talks are ongoing regarding planned visits to the Philippines of the Chambers of Qatar and Kuwait.

PERSONAL

DR. AMABLE R. AGUILUZ V turned 65 last September 05. , is married to Cielo Cruz –Aguiluz and blessed with amiable children namely Amable Aguiuluz IX, Ma. Angela Aguiluz –Lamson and Ma. Clara Aguiluz

He finished BS Business Administration at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and completed his Masters in Business Administration at the University of the East and later earned his Doctorate Degree from Columbia College, Missouri, USA in 1990.

His executive training includes attendance to a number of international management programs among them: Top Management Program, Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Bali, Indonesia in 1991; and the North American International Forum, sponsored by the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in September of the same year. He is the only Filipino who finished in 2002 the 3-year Management course (OPM batch 32) at Harvard Business School specially for owners and presidents of big businesses.

Dr. Aguiluz is the founder of Asia’s first largest computer-based education system in the Philippines – The AMA Education System. This is composed of the AMA Computer University, the AMA Computer Colleges, the AMA Computer Learning Center, the AMA International Institute of Technology, ABE International Business Colleges, St. Augustine School of Nursing, AMA School of Medicine, St. Augustine International School (Basic Education) and the Norwegian Maritime Academy.