Manila Bulletin

Federal Unificatio­n Day of United Arab Emirates

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THE Federal Unificatio­n Day of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a National Day of UAE. It is celebrated annually on December 2 to commemorat­e the union day of the six emirates in 1971, followed by the joining of Ras alKhaima, the seventh emirate, in 1972. UAE’s seven constituen­t emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Each emirate is governed by a monarch; together, they form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the monarchs is selected as president of the United Arab Emirates.

National Day in UAE is a grand event around the country. It is marked with a fireworks, car rallies, and dance shows. People dress up in UAE flag colors and decorate their homes, work places, cars, and streets in jubilant celebratio­n. There are air shows and military parades. Emir Citizens Heritage Villages are set all over the emirates. These villages reconstruc­t the traditiona­l oasis settlement­s to provide an interestin­g glimpse into the emirate’s past. They showcase the traditiona­l aspects of the desert life, including a campfire with coffee pots, a goats’ hair tent, and a falaj irrigation system. There are also workshops where craftsmen show off their traditiona­l skills in metal work and pottery, while craftswome­n show off their skills in weaving and spinning.

The UAE is a Middle East country located at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf. It borders Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, and faces Qatar to the west and Iran to the north. Abu Dhabi is the capital of UAE and is the largest of the seven emirates. Dubai is its largest city.

Over a hundred thousand Overseas Filipino Workers are in the UAE employed as profession­als, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The Philippine­s has an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate general office in Dubai, while the United Arab Emirates has an embassy in Taguig City, Metro Manila. The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment also has two Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in the UAE. These are in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

We greet the people and government of the United Arab Emirates, led by His Royal Highness, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on the occasion of its National Day.

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