UAE eyeing investments in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - The United Arab Emirates is eyeing more investments in the infrastructure, tourism and power sectors in the Philippines, Vice President Jejomar Binay said.

Binay made the statement following his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE’s Armed Forces in Abu Dhabi last Tuesday.

“The crown prince said he wanted to invest in the Philippines after I cited opportunities in the power, infrastructure and tourism sectors. He also wants to visit the Philippines one of these days,” Binay said.

Binay, the opposition standard bearer in the May 2016 presidential elections, said he is optimistic that his meeting with Zayed would strengthen bilateral ties and boost the UAE’s investments in the Philippines.

Binay, who began his three-day visit to the Gulf state on Tuesday, described his 30-minute meeting with the crown prince as “very warm and cordial.”

“Our meeting wasn’t part of our schedule but I was pleasantly surprised by his keen interest to meet me,” he said.

Binay said Zayed spoke highly of Filipinos and their contributions to the UAE.

“He said the UAE was grateful to about 600,000 Filipinos who live and work here,” said Binay, who served as former presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ concerns.

The UAE is the second most popular destination for Filipino migrant workers after Saudi Arabia. It is home to 574,336 Filipinos, according to 2014 figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Commission on Filipinos Overseas in Manila, however, placed the figure at 900,000.

After his meeting with Zayed, Binay met UAE Labor Minister Shaqr Ghobash and was briefed on the country’s three new labor decrees and the status of ongoing negotiations on the Memorandum of Understanding on Labor and on Household Service Workers Unified Contract.

Binay later joined 39 Filipina runaway maids for lunch at the Philippine labor office. Some of them were victims of maltreatment and human trafficking.

Binay discussed the status of their cases and promised to provide assistance to facilitate their return to the country. 

The Vice President asked his daughter, Sen. Nancy Binay, who is part of the delegation, to look into the possibility of extending help even to undocumented Filipino workers by setting up a special assistance fund.

Binay also visited the Philippine Global School-Abu Dhabi, an all-Filipino primary and secondary academic institution of more than 2,000 students.

The Vice President was also guest of honor at a Filipino community event hosted by the Bayanihan Council on Tuesday.

Binay’s latest visit to the UAE is his fifth since he became vice president in 2010.