It was the Year of Zayed when I arrived in Abu Dhabi on a summer’s day in August 2018. From the airport road going to the Dusit Thani, my temporary home, I saw giant pictures of the face of a charismatic and dignified-looking man emblazoned on buildings and other structures lining the thoroughfare.
My first impression? The eyes on that face had the gaze of a man who was full of wisdom. I would soon discover in the next four and a half years that the vision that came from those eyes would be a new lens through which I, as an ambassador, could write a new narrative for relations between the Philippines and the UAE.
As far back as when the UAE was a newly formed federation, Filipinos have been coming here and were being welcomed by Emiratis with open arms. Filipinos were one of the many groups of foreign citizens who helped build the foundations of UAE’s cities and urban landscapes, as well as helping the country in its journey towards modernisation.
As the third-largest expatriate population in the UAE, Filipinos were always acknowledged as having played a large role in the country’s success story. As a group, they represented a strong yarn in the knitting of the UAE’s social fabric.
But as the new ambassador then, I wanted the bilateral ties to go beyond labour co-operation by developing a more multifaceted partnership. The usual question being posed to me was: "How come Philippines-UAE bilateral relations have not really progressed to a higher level when in fact there should be so much potential given the large number of Filipinos in the UAE?"
This was where my work as an ambassador came into the picture and where UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s vision became a driving force. I did not know much of what transpired before 2018 – what I know was the four years that followed made me a witness to the most dynamic pace any nation could tread in that short span of time. Many dreams were being fulfilled, many feats were being achieved, and, yes, many firsts were being recorded.
Driven and animated by the strong vision of Sheikh Zayed as the Founding Father, UAE was making history left and right: hosting Expo 2020 Dubai – the first World’s Fair to be held in the Middle East; launching the Hope probe, making UAE the first Arab nation to succeed in putting a spacecraft into orbit above Mars on its first attempt; signing the Abraham Accords, which are becoming the catalyst for wider change in the Middle East; and mobilising large-scale, highly effective, worldwide humanitarian assistance during the pandemic.
As ambassadors, we were given front-row seats to see the bold and trailblazing forays of this relatively young nation. The vista from my seat was becoming wider, with a clear view of the horizon. These series of developments inspired me to climb higher and seek the possibilities of what our two countries could do together.
As ambassador, I began to find ways to build bridges of co-operation on never-before explored territory. On the back of the enormous goodwill generated by the strong presence of Filipinos in this country, I found receptiveness on the part of the UAE to build a relationship with the Philippines not only in the areas of consular matters and culture but also in new and exciting areas such as space technology, artificial intelligence, defence, investment protection and promotion, agriculture and food security, as well as protection of the environment.
Having undertaken these from 2018 to 2022, from the perspective of our 48-year diplomatic relationship, we can say that there has been unprecedented growth in the bilateral relations between our two countries in the past four and a half years.
What makes UAE different is that it provides many platforms and countries can choose to engage with it in a very close, comprehensive and strategic manner. For example, Expo 2020 Dubai provided the backdrop for Philippine delegations from our science and technology agencies to meet their counterparts from the UAE Office of the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, and begin talks for an agreement on advanced technology.
It was also where Philippines-UAE talks on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement were initiated and formalised, as well as where negotiations on the deal for Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement began. This was eventually signed at the Ministry of Economy in Dubai on June 9, 2022.
The Abu Dhabi Space Debate on December 5, 2022 was the venue where the Philippine Space Agency and the UAE Space Agency signed an agreement on space co-operation.
The International Defence Exposition and Conference – Idex – hosted by the UAE in 2020 was also the take-off point for my initiative to partner with Edge's Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding Corporation and lead a delegation to visit big, state-of-the-art shipyards in the Philippines and develop co-operation in the area of defence.
With this flurry of bilateral activities, I signed the Philippines-UAE agreement on agriculture on June 28, 2022 with Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. This would allow the two countries to work together on oil science and management, biotechnology, post-harvest, agriculture research & development.
I also signed a bilateral agreement on consular co-operation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation on April 7, 2021, thus strengthening the framework of co-operation for the protection of our respective nationals in each other’s countries.
Another memorable activity was to celebrate the 48th anniversary of our diplomatic relations with the joint planting of mangrove trees on Jubail Island in Abu Dhabi to show solidarity in achieving the pledge to plant 100 million mangroves to greenify the country and as a strategic move to achieve net zero by 2050.
I am deeply grateful to the UAE leadership because they made an ambassador like me feel that I am a co-bearer of shared dreams. It was not a solo affair, and diplomacy and partnership are values that they strongly upheld. On my last day as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, I can really say that my eyes have been opened to the vast opportunities for co-operation that can be developed between our two countries. Yes, much work remains to be done but the leverage that the strong ties between our two peoples provide will allow our relations to flourish and soar to greater heights.
In my speech at a gala event honouring the Philippines-UAE cultural collaboration that allowed the showcasing of golden Philippine artefacts at Louvre Abu Dhabi in December 2022, I remarked that the gold we celebrate is more than just the sophisticated remnants of a glorious past. It is the gold that we find in everyday interactions. The Philippines and the UAE struck gold when our people discovered that bond of friendship, which paved the way for me, as Philippine ambassador, to explore these new areas of collaboration with the UAE. And I can say with a heart full of hope that we have only just begun.
