07 October 2016 — Philippine Ambassador to Jordan Junever Mahilum-West delivered a talk entitled "The Philippines and the Arab World: A Story of Trade, Migration and Faith in a Globalizing World" at the Arab Thought Forum in Amman on October 04. 

The event was attended by Arab Thought Forum members, members of the legislature, Arab thinkers and academics and members of the diplomatic corps.

In his lecture, Ambassador Mahilum-West highlighted the main drivers that established linkages between the Philippines and the Arab world in ancient times: trade, migration and Islam.  She gave a brief history of how Arabs migrated to the Philippines and the spread of Islam in the country, highlighting the major influences from the Arab and Islamic heritage in Philippine culture. She also discussed Arab-Philippines trade relations and the growing population of Filipinos working in the Arab region in contemporary times was also discussed.

Arab Thought Forum is an independent, intellectual, pan-Arab non-government organization which aims to study the current situation in the Arab world and undertakes research for practical solutions and viable options to address the problems in the region, under the patronage of H.R.H. Prince El Hassan bin Talal.END