VP OFF TO RIYADH FOR KING FAHD’S FUNERAL
02 August 2005  

 

Vice-President Noli ‘Kabayan’ De Castro left for Riyadh yesterday afternoon to represent the country in paying last respects to His Royal Highness, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, who died Monday after a lingering illness.
 

 

Accompanied by his wife Arlene, who hails from the prominent Sinsuat clan of Cotabato, Vice President De Castro was met by Ambassador Banhnarim Guinommla at the Riyadh International Airport and headed straight to the guest house to condole with the family of King Fahd led by his half-brother and successor to the throne, Crown Prince Abdullah.

 

The Vice President and Mrs. De Castro are expected back in Manila this Friday.  Vice-President De Castro, who is also the presidential adviser on Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), paid tribute to King Fahd as a champion of skilled Filipinos for during his reign, OFWs and their families were given important opportunities to lead better lives. 

 

The earnings of Saudi OFWs significantly contributed in improving Philippine dollar reserves.  

 

A controversial monarch who ascended the throne in 1982, the late King Fahd reigned for twenty three years over a country that accounts for twenty-five percent of the world’s oil supply and home to important historic Moslem cities of Mecca and Medina. 

 

King Fahd, 83, had been in the hospital since May 27, when he was admitted with acute pneumonia.  He had a reputation as an administrator and international diplomat.