Citizens of the Philippines have said they backed a leader to build a strong economy, unite the country and continue the fight against drugs as the nation voted for a new president.
Hundreds of voters waited under shaded areas at the Philippines' consulate in Dubai on Monday to cast their ballot in the elections.
The UAE has the largest number of registered overseas Filipino voters with more than 290,000 eligible to vote from about 700,000 residents in the country.
In line with the polls in the Philippines, the mood at the consulate in Dubai tilted strongly in favour of Ferdinand Marcos Jr, popularly called “Bongbong” Marcos.
“I vote Marcos, why?" said Ryan Villaflores, 41, who runs a car repair business in Dubai. "It's because he will look after infrastructure, business and the people.
“He will make the country and the economy grow.”
The new leader will take over from President Rodrigo Duterte who in accordance with the country’s rules can serve for a single six-year term.
Expatriates are aware of the Marcos family history, which includes a nine-year military rule imposed by his father, the former president Ferdinand Marcos, and misuse of billions of dollars in public funds but many voters chose to focus on the son’s message of unity.
Mr Marcos Jr and his running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, mayor of Davao City and daughter of the current president, are clear favourites.
Infrastructure plans
“No politician is perfect," said Loiz Pilapil, 32, a retail sales associate in Dubai. "Every government has flaws. I was not born at that time but my parents and grandparents tell me how Marcos Sr built infrastructure and gave free food in the early years.
“I believe Bongbong Marcos will take care of the poor and youth. He will prioritise people’s needs, help people working abroad and work for the betterment of all our lives.”
Renato N Duenas Jr, consul general of the Philippines in Dubai, said the consulate and embassy in Abu Dhabi had seen a steady stream of voters casting their ballot since April 10 when voting for expatriates began.
The identity of voters is verified as they wait in specially set up areas in the consulate compound.
Inside voting zones, they are handed the ballot to mark off and place in the voting machines.
“We have had hundreds of registered voters come daily to express their position on who the leader of our country will be with their vote,” Mr Duenas Jr said.
“This is an automated voting system so ballots will be counted on the last day, which is today.
“It will be maybe a few hours until the last vote is counted.”
Transparency is key
Mr Marcos Jr’s main challenger is Leni Robredo, a vocal critic of the elder Duterte even though she was his vice president.
Her supporters believe in the transparency and reform that Ms Robredo’s ‘pink revolution’ campaign had promised.
“Her platform is for the farmers, fishermen, for everybody,” said Mary Joy Penaflor, 44, a receptionist in Dubai.
“I’m afraid of martial law and I don’t want that again and for people to suffer.”
Maelina Esguerra, a senior data analyst with a luxury group, echoed her sentiment.
“People want someone with integrity to lead and that is why I voted for Leni,” she said.
“She does not have funds so volunteers worked and contributed to her campaign.
“I pray for Leni because she has proper projects planned for regular people so the taxes people pay will be properly allocated to good projects for workers.”
UAE resident Jess Manglicmot was among the first to vote last month on the day polls opened for overseas citizens in Dubai.
Back home for a break to celebrate his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, the Philippines citizen has enjoyed seeing the election campaign up close in the final few days, with Mr Marcos supporters in red shirts dancing in the streets and Ms Robredo backers releasing pink balloons.
Mr Manglicmot accompanied his mother early on Monday as she stood in line to cast her ballot.
“It’s an exciting time to be in the Philippines, you can feel the vibe – it’s lively and chaotic," said Mr Manglicmot, who works in a Christian evangelical church in Dubai.
“I believe BBM [Bongbong Marcos] will be a good, strong leader.
“My parents have talked about his father’s leadership, projects like national highways built by Marcos Sr.
“The son is charismatic and I don’t believe what the father and family did in the past, the son will repeat.
“I believe Bongbong and Sara Duterte will work in tandem and continue the projects of the current president like infrastructure, housing, highways and the war on drugs. This is what is really important in our country.”
India cancels school-leaving examinations
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
Jawan
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BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Match info
Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Fast%20X
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The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
More on Quran memorisation:
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
