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