Makati City: The Philippines received 25 tons of dates from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday. “We’re sharing with the Philippine people Saudi products. Dates is a special product of Saudi Arabia and we’re here to present it as gift. It’s a message of love between the two countries,” Saudi Arabia Embassy Charge d’Affaires a.i Abdullah Saad Al-Shahri stated during the turnover ceremonies in Makati City.

According to Philippines News Agency, dates have been a critical part of the Saudi diet since ancient times. Abdullah Saad Al-Shahri emphasized that the donation symbolizes more than just food assistance. “This is a gift from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the people of the Philippines. This is related to food but there are other gifts as well,” he noted. Among other initiatives, the Saudi Arabian government facilitated the successful separation surgery of Filipino conjoined twin sisters Ayeesha and Akhizah Yusoph in 2024.

The turnover ceremony was attended by various officials, including National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Secretary Sabuddin Abdurahim, Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of the Middle East and African Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Dinno Oblena, and representatives from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Abdulrahman Almogren and Mohammed Alhamar.