19 March 2013 - The Philippines-Saudi Arabia Joint Technical Working Group (TWG) convened at the Ministry of Labor (MOL) in Riyadh to discuss and mutually agree on the provisions of the draft Agreement on Domestic Worker Recruitment on March 16.

The proposed agreement aims to enhance Philippine-Saudi cooperation on the recruitment of Filipino domestic workers, and seeks to protect the rights of both the worker and the employer and regulate the contractual relations between them.

The Philippine side was led by the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Danilo P. Cruz and included Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Deputy Administrator Mr. Josefino Torres, and Department of Foreign Affairs Executive Director for Middle East and Africa Mr. Nathaniel Imperial. Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago, Vice Consul Paulo Saret, and Labor Attachés Adam Musa and Alejandro Padaen joined the Philippine delegation during the talks.

The Saudi side included the Ministry of Labor Director General for Bilateral Affairs Mr. Waleed Orainan, and Messrs. Mohammad Al Toraibi and

Mohammad Al Sharka.