Pakistan |
Philippines |
Pakistan and Philippines enjoy good diplomatic and trade relationship. Pakistan has an embassy in Manila[1], and Philippines has an embassy in Islamabad[2].
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Bilateral trade between the two countries in 2006 was around US$70 million[3]. With Philippine imports from Pakistan worth more than US$42.3 million, mostly including garments and pharmaceutical drug. Philippine exports to Pakistan is valued at about US$28.8 million in 2006. Pakistan-Philippines Business Council was created to promote trade and investment opportunities between the two countries[4].
There are around 3,000 Filipinos working as domestic helpers in Pakistan. Around 60 religious students from Mindanao also study at various Islamic seminary of Pakistan[5]. In 2005, up to 1,000 Pakistanis also lived in Philippines[6].
There is also a large expatriate population of both overseas Filipino and overseas Pakistanis in Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. And as such there is a significant social contact between the Pakistani and Filipino people in Middle Eastern countries.
Pakistan is fighting a guerrilla war against Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and so is Philippines fighting an insurgency war against MILF, both the countries therefore face a common terrorism threat. Pakistan and Philippines have signed a memorandum of understanding serving as a "legal framework to facilitate cooperation and inter-operability between the security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies of the two countries"[7].
President Pervez Musharraf was the first head of state to make an official visit to Philippines in 2005, hosted by president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo[8].
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