Philippine construction company EEI Corporation and Samsung Engineering NEC Co. Ltd. (SENEC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand job opportunities for Filipinos in the KSA.
EEI President and CEO Henry D. Antonio, SENEC CEO Mohamed Neffati, and SENEC Board Member MinSu Ko signed the MOU in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, witnessed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
The MOU affirms the companies' obligations and objectives in support of mobilizing, deploying, and developing the skills, capabilities, and work ethic of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Saudi Arabia.
"We look forward to empowering fellow Filipinos and help benefit their families and loved ones too through these employment opportunities. EEI has been present here in Saudi Arabia since 1993 and because of this fruitful joint venture, we are preparing for the labor needs that will arise for several upcoming projects lined up here in Saudi,” said Antonio.
Aside from job generation for Filipinos, the EEI is also seeking to deepen relations to work on projects based in the oil-rich country with SENEC, an engineering and construction joint venture company of Samsung Engineering and Al Rushaid Petroleum Investment Corporation (ARPIC).
Construction export services worth US$120 million between EEI and SENEC was recently agreed upon by the parties during the Philippine government's roundtable meeting with Arabian business leaders on Oct. 19, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The EEI has longstanding partnerships with companies in Saudi Arabia, through Al Rushaid Construction Company Limited (ARCC), which was a joint venture company of the ARPIC and EEI Corporation's subsidiary EEI Limited.
The ARCC is one of the largest Saudi-Filipino joint ventures in the KSA that participates in the construction sector in the KSA, specifically on refineries construction, petrochemical plans, power and desalination plants, mining and industrial facilities.
It has provided employment for OFWs for more than 30 years. It employs 4,965 Filipinos among its 8,341 workforce at present, with more on the way after sealing the new partnership.
EEI is currently building a training facility in Tanza, Cavite where around 500 persons can be taught to enhance their skills in masonry, carpentry, electrical, welding, and equipment management.