PH Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Welcomes First Batches of Filipino Hajj Pilgrims
Ambassador Alonto welcomes the first batch of Filipino Pilgrims to this year’s Hajj as they arrive at the Prince Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah Al Munawarah. (Riyadh PE photos)
RIYADH 27 July 2018 – Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Adnan V. Alonto, together with other Muslim personnel from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, and the Philippine Consulate General and Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jeddah, welcomed the first batches of Filipino pilgrims to this year’s Hajj Pilgrimage.
A total of 668 Filipino hajj pilgrims are in Madinah to visit the grave of the Prophet Mohammad, en route to Mecca in preparation for the final hajj ritual on 19-23 August 2018.
A total of 333 Filipino Hajj pilgrims landed at the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah Al Munawarah on 22 July 2018 while another 335 pilgrims also arrived on 23 July 2018.
Around 6,000 Filipino pilgrims will perform this year’s Hajj, according to officials of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, who were also at the airport to guide and accompany the pilgrims to their transportation and accommodations in the city.
Prior to the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia on 24 October 1969, Filipino Muslims were already making the annual pilgrimage to the Kingdom immediately after Philippine independence in 1946.
The Hajj is a significant component of the bilateral relations between the two countries, not only for its cultural and religious significance, but for the goodwill and economic opportunities it brings in the course of the interactions between Filipinos and other different nationalities during the Hajj period.
The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca and Madinah, the two holiest cities for Muslims, and a mandatory duty that must be carried out at least once in the lifetime of all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and who can support their family during their absence.
For this year’s Hajj, Saudi Arabia expects to host some two million Muslim pilgrims from all over the world. END
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