ABU DHABI // Diplomats from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Muscat visited Filipinos in Buraimi last week, in the latest effort aimed at clearing the backlog of people who have been stranded there since September waiting for visas from the UAE.
Of the 65 people they met at the Buraimi Hotel, eight chose to return to the Philippines and four said they had no preference between going home or back to the UAE, said Adelio Cruz, the consul at the Philippines Embassy.
"The rest remained determined to wait for their re-entry visas to the UAE," he said.
"Only 10 per cent were waiting for their employment visas, while the rest were waiting for tourist visas."
A pregnant Filipina was among those who asked to go home.
"She was only 22 years old," said Nasser Munder, the labour attaché in Abu Dhabi. "She was among the few Filipinos who had asked to be repatriated to the Philippines."
The consular team also met Ahmad al Farsi, the deputy chief of the consular department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oman. Mr Farsi supported the team's proposal to allow the repatriation of stranded Filipinos through Muscat airport, should the need arise.
He said the number of Filipinos still travelling to Buraimi seemed to have declined.
In September, about 2,000 Filipinos were stranded in Buraimi. They were among thousands of expatriates who were unable to return to the UAE after making a once-standard run to renew their visitor visas - a practice that was restricted for many nationalities by a new law. There are now 500 to 600 Filipinos stranded in the border town, in addition to hundreds in Iran.
Mr Munder said about 150 Filipinos were staying in the Buraimi Hotel when the consular team visited them.
"They claimed they had debts to pay in the Philippines, and couldn't face their families," Mr Munder said.
"Most have spent 70,000 Philippine pesos (Dh5,203) for their trip to Dubai.
"Others had to sell their properties. One Filipino even said he had to sell three of his carabaos [water buffalos].
"We asked those waiting for employment visas to write their names and companies so that the Philippine labour office in Dubai could follow up with their sponsors."
Many were reluctant to disclose the names of their travel agencies, fearing reprisal.
"They feared that the agencies won't process their new visas to re-enter Dubai," he said.
Mr Cruz, at the Philippines Embassy in Abu Dhabi, said the consular team had advised the Filipinos to consider waiting for their visas in the Philippines and not to "blindly believe in stories of other Filipinos who allegedly re-entered the UAE after spending only three to four days at the border".
The diplomats also asked them to check if the travel agency processing their tourist visas was suspended or blacklisted by the Dubai immigration authorities, and to consider seeking employment in Oman.
rruiz@thenational.ae
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Twin%20electric%20motors%20and%20105kWh%20battery%20pack%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E619hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C015Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUp%20to%20561km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ3%20or%20Q4%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh635%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013