PH Expresses Solidarity with Saudi Arabia; Condemns Latest Attacks

12 April 2018 — The Philippines today expressed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia as it again condemned the latest missile attacks launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen on Wednesday.

“The Philippines stands solidly behind Saudi Arabia and condemns the latest missile attacks against the Kingdom,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said from Hong Kong.

Secretary Cayetano, who is accompanying President Duterte in a two-day working visit to Hong Kong, again called for an end to the missile attacks that he said deliberately targeted heavily populated areas in the Kingdom.

“These attacks that exposed not only Saudi civilians but also tens of thousands of Filipino and other foreign workers to serious danger are a clear violation of international law,” Secretary Cayetano said.

No casualties were reported in the latest attack against Riyadh but the Philippine Embassy again alerted members of the Filipino Community to stay calm but vigilant.

Ambassador to Riyadh Adnan Alonto said Saudi security forces were able to intercept a ballistic missile that targeted the Ministry of Defense in Riyadh and shot down two unmanned drones that targeted the Aramco oil storage facilities in the provinces of Najran and Jizan on Wednesday evening.

Ambassador Alonto said there are 374,495 Filipinos in Riyadh; 7,850 in Najran; and 15,700 in Jizan.

Ambassador Alonto said the latest attack was the fourth targeting Riyadh in the past five months. Last month, Saudi forces shot down several ballistic missiles but two Egyptians on the ground were killed by falling debris.

Saudi Arabia, which hosts almost a million Filipino workers, has repeatedly been targeted by Houthi rebels fighting a Saudi-led military coalition supporting the internationally recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. END