Marcos expects enhanced ties with Qatar, Chile as he greets envoys

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed hope that the Philippines' relations with Qatar and Chile would be enhanced as he received the credentials of the two countries' ambassadors to the Philippines.

At a ceremony at Malacañang Palace, Marcos receive the credentials of Ambassador Ahmed Saad Nasser Abdullah Al-Hamidi of Qatar and Ambassador Alvaro Domingo Jara Bucarey of Chile.

As he welcomed Bucarey, Marcos said the two countries could work together on various aspects including disaster response, climate change, energy security as well as enhanced government-to-government collaboration and public private partnerships (PPPs).

Marcos said the Philippines is looking at new technologies and best practices around the world to transition from traditional fossil fuels to renewables.

For his part, Bucarey told Marcos about Chile's potential for both solar and geothermal energy, adding its needs on new technologies and partners to harness such power sources.

“With solar energy we have been able to modify the energy production in Chile. And we would like to see the north of Chile… there is a lot of presence, tourism mostly but they have an immense potential for energy generation,” Bucarey said.

Marcos also mentioned to Bucarey some of the new ideas and technologies that are available to both countries, noting that the Philippines needs partners to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So I look forward to that, Mr. Ambassador, and I’m very happy that you have come as the envoy from your country and I am sure – I hope that you will get to see some of my country,” the President said.

Meanwhile, Marcos also welcomed Al-Hamidi as he expressed hope that the Philippines could work closely with Qatar. He said he admires the country as it was able to transform its economy and "moved away from the traditional sources of revenue to new income sources with a very clear understanding of the future."

“I think that there are many areas that will provide us opportunities for partnership,” Marcos said.

Al-Hamidi, on the other hand, vowed that Qatar is willing to work with the Philippines in exploring some of the opportunities that the two nations have great potential through years of diplomatic relations.

Marcos also received the credentials of Ambassador Dato Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino Bin Anthony of Malaysia and Ambassador Megawati Dato Paduka Haji Manan of Brunei Darussalam. — BM, GMA Integrated News