Philippines envoy sees strong UAE ties aiding expat welfare
ALFONSO SAYS FILIPINO GOODWILL HAS ENHANCED BILATERAL COOPERATION
New Philippine ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ver, who arrived in Abu Dhabi last week to assume his duties as head of the Philippine mission, began his stint by pledging to further strenghten diplomatic ties with the UAE.
Shortly after his arrival, Ver, who replaces ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana, met Team Philippines UAE (embassy, consulate, and attached agencies).
In a Facebook post, the Philippine Embassy said that the meeting aimed “to chart the way forward as the Philippines continues to cultivate deep and meaningful engagement with the UAE, with a view towards protecting the interests of Filipinos who have made the country their second home”.
‘Twin priorities’
Ver said: “Our robust relations with the UAE, evidenced by the recent expansion in the areas of cooperation, is hinged on the enormous goodwill generated by Filipinos here. Therefore, our twin priorities of promoting the welfare of Filipinos and further deepening Philippine ties with the UAE, go hand in hand, as one opens the door to the other.”
Before coming to the UAE, Ver served as the Philippine assistant secretary for Middle East and African Affairs. He also previously served as the Philippine ambassador to Bahrain, and was consul general in San Francisco, and in Turkey.
Ver earned his Master of Arts in Public Policy at the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies in Tokyo in 2004 as a scholar under the Japanese Ministry of Education’s Young Leaders Programme. Ver’s first overseas assignment was as vice-consul at the Philippine consulate in Guam in 1996.
Impactful community
“The Filipinos in the UAE are significant not only in number, as the country’s third largest expatriate population, but also in terms of impact. They are known for their professionalism, talent and skill, combined with innate friendliness, which is why they are respected and embraced by the UAE,” Ver said.
Our twin priorities of promoting the welfare of Filipinos and further deepening ties with the UAE, go hand in hand, as one opens the door to the other.”
Alfonso Ver | Philippines ambassador
Avenues of cooperation
“The Philippines engaged UAE in agriculture, space technology, consular cooperation, investment promotion and combating human trafficking,” Vre said. “The Philippines and the UAE will be signing MoUs on culture, defence, advanced technology, and hopefully the CEPA [Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement] in the next few months. Thus, each Filipino is an integral part of Team Philippines UAE.”