Saudi king donates 100 tons of dates for Filipino Muslims

MANILA, Philippines – Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud has donated 100 metric tons of dates for Muslims in the country, especially those in war-torn Mindanao, in time for the Muslim holy month
of Ramadan.

The Saudi monarch’s "gift" of the sweet and nutritious fruit arrived from the Middle East early this week in four container vans for the observance of Ramadan, which is expected to start on Aug. 11—depending
on the sighting of the new crescent moon—and ends on Sept. 10.
Serving dates and new concoctions like sparkling date juice, which is
served in some Islamic countries as a non-alcoholic drink, are common
during Muslim religious occasions such as Ramadan.

King Abdullah's donation to local Muslims, worth 530,000 Saudi rials (about $141,333), was coursed through the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, Philippine National Red Cross and the United Nations-attached
World Food Program.

During simple rites Thursday at the Saudi Embassy in Makati City, Ambassador Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al Hassan formally turned over the King’s donation to representatives of the three agencies, including NCMF
Secretary Bai Omera Lucman, PNRC manager Lucy Beltran and Stephen
Anderson, WFP director and country representative.

Director Fahad Al Munif of the Saudi Ministry of Finance and embassy officials witnessed the brief turnover ceremony.

The Middle East kingdom, which also calls itself "Kingdom of Humanity," has been sending processed dates to Filipino-Muslim communities here since 2006.

Late last year, King Abdullah, whose official title is the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (located in Mecca and Medina)," sent P70 million worth of assorted goods for the victims of Tropical Storm
"Ondoy." The relief goods were coursed through the Department of Social
Welfare and Development, according to embassy personnel.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Eduardo Malaya on Thursday conveyed the government's "deep appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and King of Saudi Arabia for the generous donation of and their
solidarity with all Muslim Filipinos during Ramadan."

"This gesture manifests the strong relationship between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia and the deep affection amongst our peoples," said Malaya.

The Saudi dates were processed by the Al-Hassa Bulk Dates Factory in coordination with the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture and the Hassa Irrigation and Drainage Authority.

Saudi Arabia is one of world's Top 10 producers of dates, along with Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Oman, and Libya.

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