ANOTHER pair of Filipino conjoined twins are undergoing a battery of medical tests at the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) in Saudi Arabia in preparation for the delicate surgery to separate them.
Gianna and Olivia Manuel are the fourth pair of Filipino conjoined twins to benefit from the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, a flagship medical initiative that has provided life-saving surgical interventions to conjoined twins from around the world.
The one-year-and-eight-month-old twins arrived in Riyadh with their parents, Ginalyn and Oliver Manuel, for a comprehensive series of medical evaluations.
Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raymond Balatbat visited the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital in Riyadh on Feb. 17 to meet Gianna and Olivia.
Balatbat conveyed the Philippine government’s support as the Manuel twins prepare for the delicate procedure. He also visited another pair of Filipino conjoined twins who arrived in 2025 and remain under close medical supervision while awaiting their own separation operation.
Both pairs are being monitored by renowned Saudi pediatric surgeon Abdullah Rabeeah, who heads the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program and has led numerous complex separation surgeries.
The program, supported by KSrelief, covers the full cost of treatment, including surgery, hospitalization and related medical care.
In a statement, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh expressed its deep appreciation for the kingdom’s sustained humanitarian outreach, noting that the program offers not only advanced medical intervention but also renewed hope for Filipino families facing extraordinary medical challenges.
The embassy underscored that the initiative reflects the strong bilateral ties between Manila and Riyadh, extending beyond labor and economic cooperation to encompass life-saving humanitarian partnerships.
