PH, Qatar ink deal on trade, sports, anti-human trafficking

The Philippines and Qatar signed various agreements on Monday which aimed to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. and His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, graced the presentation of newly inked agreements at the President’s Hall in Malacañang Palace.

The signed deals are as follows:

• Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on the waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and special or official passports;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on cooperation in the field of sports;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on cooperation in the field of youth;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on cooperation in combating human trafficking;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on technical cooperation and capacity-building on climate change;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar in the field of tourism and business events;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the State of Qatar on mutual recognition of seafarers' certificates;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Sheikh Tamim's state visit to the Philippines marked a significant step in bolstering bilateral ties between the two countries.

Deals

When it comes to human trafficking, the two countries agreed “to work together to combat human trafficking, including advancing labor protection in both countries, through exchange of expertise in the field of legislation and exchange of studies and research.”

Under the MOU, the Philippines and Qatar will work to identify and implement joint projects, exchange of legislations and regulations related to combating human trafficking, promote public awareness, and exchange studies and research on the matter.

Another MOU signed was the agreement on mutual recognition of seafarers’ certificate to implement the provisions stipulated in the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Convention) of 1978, and the amendments, in which Qatar acceded by Decree No. (14) of 2003.

The MOU agreed between the two countries “shall apply to the certificates of seafarers who serve on registered merchant ships of any of the participants and sail under its flag except for those who serve on the ships mentioned in Article 3 of the STCW Convention.”

Another MOU signed was on technical cooperation on capacity building on climate change.

The agreement between the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission and Qatar’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change aims to enhance collaboration between the parties to jointly pursue technical cooperation, capacity building, enhance knowledge sharing and promote transformative climate action, aligned with the shared goals on climate action under the Paris Agreement of 2016.

The Philippines and Qatar also inked a MOU that will promote cooperation and facilitate communication between sports federations of both countries.

The participants shall strengthen their mutual cooperation in the field of sports by exchanging visits of sports delegations, coaches, experts and specialists in the field of sports and physical education, exchanging research and sharing experiences related to sports and physical activities and participation in meetings, conferences, lectures, seminars and academic forums on topics dealing with sports held in both countries.

When it comes to the MOU on waiver of visa requirements, the agreement covers valid diplomatic and official passports for the Philippines while those covered for Qatar will be valid diplomatic and special passports.

“Nationals of either party who are holders of valid passport types mentioned in Article 1 of this Agreement are exempted from the obligation to obtain visas for entry and stay in the territory of the other party, for a stay of 30 days,” the agreement read.

“Provided, the passport presented must have a validity period of at least three months beyond the period of allowed stay in the territory of the other Party," it stated — RSJ, GMA Integrated News