President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday for a one-day working visit.
Marcos departed the country at 9 p.m. on Monday (Philippine time) and arrived at 2:06 a.m. (UAE time). He was accompanied by former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos who has close ties with the UAE Royal Family and a small delegation.
Marcos was welcomed by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyanin in Abu Dhabi.
“Today I welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Abu Dhabi to discuss opportunities to further deepen cooperation between the UAE and the Philippines across vital fields, including economy, trade, and sustainability,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“As our countries celebrate 50 years of friendship and collaboration, we remain committed to bolstering ties and bringing lasting benefit to our peoples,” he said.
The other government officials who joined Marcos were DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, who attended discussions on preventing leakage of plastic waste in oceans; NCCA chair Vic Manalo, on the signing of a cultural cooperation agreement with the UAE Ministry of Culture, and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Charles Jose.
Unlike his previous overseas engagements, Marcos did not schedule a meeting with the Filipino community as he had to travel back to Manila after his meetings in the Emirates.
Marcos appealed for understanding from the more than 450,000 Filipinos in the UAE as he said he was focused on the Philippines’ recovery efforts from the recent typhoons.
Apart from his meeting with the Emirati leader, Marcos took the opportunity to thank the UAE for tapping Filipino talent and allowing them to “flourish in an environment that fosters kindness, respect, and tolerance.”
He also expressed his gratitude for the UAE’s assistance in several matters, such as the arrest and turnover of a sex trafficker to the Philippine authorities, the training and support for the Philippine National Police, the humanitarian assistance following the typhoons, and the pardoning of 143 Filipinos during Eid al-Adha.
Marcos’ last trip to the Emirates was scheduled in November 2023 for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai. At the last minute, however, his attendance at the climate convention was canceled after reports that 17 Filipino seafarers were taken hostage by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
In his absence from the Philippines, Marcos again tapped Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrad Estrella III to be the “caretakers.”
This executive committee took on the same role when Marcos attended the ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, Laos.
This is the second time Marcos skipped over Vice President Sara Duterte as “caretaker.” The two leaders have not been on “speaking terms” since Duterte left the Cabinet when she resigned as secretary of the Department of Education in July.