Rody to meet Jordan king today

AMMAN – President Duterte ended his historic and controversial trip to Israel yesterday and arrived here for a three-day visit that seeks to strengthen ties between the Philippines and Jordan.

The four-day official visit, the first by a sitting Philippine president, will include a meeting with King Abdullah and a meeting with the Filipino community.

It will reciprocate the visit of the late King Hussein, who went to the Philippines 42 years ago. His visit in 1976 formally established diplomatic ties between Jordan and the Philippines.

On Thursday, Duterte will have a meeting with King Abdullah and his delegation.

The two leaders are expected to witness the signing of agreements on defense, foreign affairs, trade and labor.

The agreement on labor aims to improve the plight of about 40,000 Filipino migrant workers here while the defense deal seeks to boost the Philippines’ security capabilities.

The agreement on foreign affairs, on the other hand, is intended to enable the Philippines and Jordan to hold political consultations while the deal on trade seeks to enhance the two-way trade between the two countries.

Duterte will also attend on Thursday a business forum where he is expected to ask Jordanian firms to invest in the Philippines.

Duterte will cap his trip here with a meeting with the Filipino community on Friday.

Before departing for Jordan, Duterte attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Open Doors Monument at the Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, Israel. The monument includes a sculpture by Filipino artist Jun Yee.