As both the Philippines and Bangladesh are labor-sending countries to Singapore, the two envoys agreed on the prioritization of the issue of migration in their respective foreign policies. There are an estimated 180,000 Filipinos and 350,000 Bangladeshis in Singapore.

Ambassador Morales also took the opportunity to apprise his Bangladeshi counterpart on the Philippine Chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2017. As part of the line-up of activities for PH’s ASEAN Chairmanship this year, Ambassador Morales expressed the hope that the Bangladeshi High Commission could participate in a seminar on migration that the Philippine Embassy plans to organize.

High Commissioner Rahman arrived in Singapore to assume his post two months ago. This is his first ambassadorial posting in a career that has mostly followed a multilateral track.