ABU DHABI // Dubai remains a major gateway for the movement of thousands of blue-collar workers to Syria, despite attempts by the Philippine government to stop them, experts say.
About 16,000 Filipinos were thought to have gone to work in Syria in the past four years. But of those, 1,000 were hired through the Philippine overseas employment administration (Poea), the only legal route.
The rest went illegally through unlicensed agencies or consultancies that posed as recruitment agencies in the Philippines.
That, says Emmanuel Geslani, an overseas recruitment consultant in Manila, means there is little the Philippine government can do to protect their welfare and rights.
Nicon Fameronag, a spokesman for Manila's labour department, said Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong were major transit points for illegal recruiters sending workers to countries where the Philippines bans their deployment.
The labour department has been monitoring the travels of Filipino workers through its regional anti-illegal recruitment task forces, Poea and the Philippine overseas labour offices, including the one in Dubai.
On Monday, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) ordered the arrest of an illegal recruiter after rescuing 22 Filipinas from a house in Manila. At least two were apparently due to travel to Syria via Dubai.
"According to the caretaker of the house where the women were staying, her boss has contacts in Dubai that process women for entry to Syria," said Jejomar Binay, the vice president of the Philippines and chairman emeritus of the Iacat.
Mr Famerong said the alleged illegal recruiter was now being held at the national bureau of investigation without bail.
Mr Binay warned unlicensed Philippines recruitment agencies not to take advantage of those desperate to gain employment abroad.
"We are now pushing for stiffer penalties for human-trafficking violations," he said. "We will aggressively pursue these groups and bring them before the courts."
Mr Binay called on local authorities and the public to assist Iacat by reporting suspicious activity.
Mr Geslani said that the majority of the 15,000 Filipinos in Syria travelled there through Dubai.
"Recruitment syndicates received them in Dubai and gave them entry visas and airline tickets to Syria."
Other workers are recruited legally through Poea for jobs in Dubai, but then illegally sent on to Damascus. Despite a ban imposed last year on moving to Syria for work, and efforts to bring those already there home, Filipinos continue to arrive in Damascus, Mr Geslani said.
In December, the government raised the crisis alert level for Syria to four from three, due to the worsening violence in the country. Level four triggers mandatory repatriation.
"Many of these workers refuse to leave Syria, claiming they work for rich employers, while others have said there were no jobs awaiting them back home," Mr Geslani said.
"Some employers who fled Syria are bringing with them their domestic helpers to Lebanon, Jordan or Iraq."
John Leonard Monterona, the regional co-ordinator for the expatriate rights group Migrante Middle East, said: "The illegal recruitment of Filipinos, particularly domestic workers, is a long-standing issue. It is rampant not only in Syria but in most Arab countries."
Mr Monterona said that in the past month at least 15 Filipinas arrived in Dubai, and at least 10 in Doha, who were due to be sent to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
rruiz@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
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When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
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- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
Play-off fixtures
Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14
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