Arroyo woos Sultan Bolkiah to revive old megaprojects<\/p>\n
By Belinda Olivares-Cunanan<\/p>\n
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM: Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, supreme ruler
\nof the fabled kingdom of Brunei, pulled all the stops during the
\nthree-day visit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that ended
\nFriday morning.<\/p>\n
At the Istana Nurul Iman the Sultan honored her with the
\nhighest decoration of the state and the title of Datin Laila
\nUtama: \"The Most Esteemed Family Order.\"<\/p>\n
The palace, which also serves as the sultan's office as prime
\nminister, is set amid low hills. Designed in 1980, it was
\nfinished three years later by a Filipino consortium led by the
\nAyalas and D.M. Consunji, using a lot of Philippine mahogany in
\nits high-vaulted Islamic and Malay-influenced roof.<\/p>\n
The palace is said to be the world's largest residential
\npalace. Among the domestic staff numbering 2,000 are 500
\nFilipinos, many of whom served the Filipino guests.<\/p>\n
There was no clapping as the dignitaries, including the
\nsultan's two official wives, entered the banquet hall and after
\nthe speeches were delivered. No toasts, as Brunei is a Muslim
\ncountry where liquor is forbidden.<\/p>\n
Some wondered if Prince Jefri, the sultan's brother, who is in
\nfinancial trouble because of his lavish spending and lifestyle
\n(news reports said that over a 10-year period, he spent a total
\nof US$2.725 billion), was around, but nobody dared to ask as we
\nwere all sure the Bruneians preferred not to talk about him or
\nthe auction of his properties that was just concluded.<\/p>\n
The good-looking Sultan Bolkiah, the 29th monarch in an
\nunbroken lineage that dates back to the 14th century, paid
\ntribute to the close historic ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n
During the 16th century, the first Sultan Bolkiah is said to
\nhave married a Filipina, a Sulu princess named Lela Menchanai,
\nwhose grandson Lakandula, a Manila nobleman, was a Macapagal. The
\nsultan would ask his historians to check this detail, Arroyo
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The sultan also stressed his full support for closer
\ncooperation between the two countries as well as the revival of
\nthe old sub-regional alliance that former president Ramos helped
\ncreate in 1995, the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East
\nASEAN Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga), which was severely affected by the
\nAsian crisis of 1997.<\/p>\n
Arroyo has been pushing for the revival of the Bimp-Eaga given
\nsimilar moves to activate newer sub-regional groupings, notably
\nthe Mekong Delta group of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and the
\nSingapore-Malaysia and Indonesia sub-group.<\/p>\n
Her message was, let's revive Bimp-Eaga before we are eclipsed
\nby the new groupings. She urged the sultan to take the lead in
\nthe Bimp-Eaga's revival since he chairs the ASEAN 10.<\/p>\n
Arroyo, of course, has a selfish motive, for Mindanao could be
\na gateway to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations through
\nthis sub-regional group. The Asian Development Bank is preparing
\na loan program to support small and medium enterprises in the
\nBimp-Eaga area.<\/p>\n
The President was delighted that the sultan has instructed his
\nstaff to study how Brunei could be part of the consortium that
\nthe Philippines is forming to finance the government's
\npetrochemical project in Bataan. She believes that the
\npetrochemical project could be the flagship project of the Bimp-
\nEaga.<\/p>\n
Over the past two days, representatives of the two countries
\nsigned several memoranda of understanding such as on the possible
\njoint exploration of energy sources in the Philippines. Cebu
\nPacific's personnel will be trained by Air Brunei, while more
\nFilipino seamen now can get aboard Bruneian vessels.<\/p>\n
In his pre-dinner speech, the Sultan paid tribute to the
\nnearly 21,000 members of the Filipino community in Brunei, who
\nmake up almost 7 percent of the population. He thanked the Pinoys
\nfor their contribution to its development. Unlike in other
\ncountries where Filipino domestics dominate, in Brunei there are
\nengineers, nurses, teachers, factory workers and hotel personnel.<\/p>\n
At the lobby of the Empire Hotel & Country Club, the huge,
\nopulent five-star complex built by the royal family for the APEC
\nsummit last November, 200 Filipino employees excitedly waited for
\nArroyo, who attended the all-morning conference with Brunei
\nbusinessmen last Thursday.<\/p>\n
On Arroyo's second day in Brunei, about 5,000 Filipinos packed
\nthe huge International Convention Center, which was also built
\nfor the APEC summit, to meet with Arroyo and her party.<\/p>\n
The Pinoys shoved and pushed to be able to touch and grab the
\nhand of Arroyo, who hailed them as the \"overseas Filipino
\ninvestors\" because of their multibillion-dollar remittances.<\/p>\n
Many of the Filipinos gave up a day's wage just to be able to
\nattend the gathering and most arrived at the convention center a
\nhalf-day early in order to be able to grab seats.<\/p>\n
-- Philippine Daily Inquirer\/Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/arroyo-woos-sultan-bolkiah-to-revive-old-megaprojects-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }