UAE, Philippines Review Investment Opportunities
Dubai: The leaders of the UAE and the Philippines have reviewed potential investment opportunities in areas of power and infrastructure in the Southeast Asian country.
Philippine Vice-President Jejomar Binay, who is in the UAE from Tuesday on a three-day visit, had called on His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE’s Armed Forces on the first day.
After his meeting with Sheikh Mohammad, the Filipino vice-president told media delegates that both leaders discussed a number of issues.
“Sheikh Mohammad said he would very much like to visit the Philippines in the future,” Binay was quoted as saying by Gulf News. “We also talked about potential investment opportunities in areas of power and infrastructure in the Philippines.”
Binay, who is one of the top contenders for the post of president in the upcoming May elections, also met and talked with distressed Filipinas being temporary sheltered at the Philippine Embassy, the report said.
In a statement for the Filipino community in the UAE, Binay further said that during his previous five-year stint as presidential adviser for OFW Concerns, he tried to give back to overseas Filipinos’ contributions to the Philippines “by coming up with programmes that would best serve your needs”.
“This included helping in repatriation costs of OFWs, addressing complaints against recruiters, employers and agents, and helping OFWs implicated in criminal cases in communicating with various state agencies on their behalf,” he was quoted as saying.
As part of his visit to the UAE, Binay will be meeting the Filipino community in Dubai today (Wednesday) and on Thursday, including attending a mass wedding ceremony at the Philippine consulate, talking to parents, students, and faculty of Far Eastern Private School, before concluding his visit on Friday. He will also be dining with distressed Filipinas under the Philippine labour office’s care in Dubai to note their concerns, said the Dubai-based news portal.
Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes, however, clarified that the visit is not part of the election campaign since the campaign period for presidential aspirants starts only on February 9, the report said.
“He is visiting in his capacity as vice-president. He’s not here to campaign. He’s here to talk to Filipinos overseas. In the first place, it’s not the campaign period yet,” Cortes was quoted as saying by Gulf News.