President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to come up with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the exchange of information between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This developed after UAE Ambassador to the Philippines Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzabi, during his courtesy visit to Mr. Marcos at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Tuesday, pitched the proposal for the two nations to forge a partnership for the sharing of information.
“The President has directed Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to draft an MOU on this, saying that he is looking forward to signing an agreement with the UAE,” Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement.
During the meeting, the UAE ambassador briefed President Marcos that the Arab state launched the exchange of information program in 2018 as a “platform knowledge.”
The envoy said the Philippines and the UAE governments may exchange information through an MOU, noting that a similar agreement has been done with over 40 countries, including Egypt, Spain and Jordan.
He raised the proposal, as he noted that a lot of companies from the UAE have expressed intent to put up a business in the Philippines.
“This program is to exchange information (between our) countries. We have more than 40 countries now in this program. It’s a government exchange program by the Office of the Prime Minister,” the UAE official, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), told Mr. Marcos.
Garafil said the UAE government has also reaffirmed its strong commitment to support the Marcos administration’s initiatives to protect the environment and boost the Philippine economy.
This, as the ambassador and other officials from the UAE expressed appreciation for the Philippines as it sees the Gulf state as a “country that has no enemies and a country that is a good friend to everyone,” Garafil said.
Garafil noted that the UAE delegation also relayed the invitation for Marcos to attend the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be held in December this year at the Expo City in Dubai.
However, it was not mentioned if Mr. Marcos accepted the invitation.
The UAE officials also hoped that the Philippines would become a member of the “Global Mangrove Alliance,” saying the movement would benefit the country, which is prone to calamities and disasters, for the management of the abundant waterways.
The Global Mangrove Alliance is an unprecedented collaboration that seeks to bring together the nongovernmental organizations, governments, scientists, industry, local communities, and funders towards a common goal of conserving and restoring mangrove ecosystems.
While President Marcos said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) would be “very pleased” to participate in the alliance, he sought the review of the movement’s structure, including the commitments of member-states and its functions.
He, nevertheless, acknowledged that the alliance would be good for the Philippines as he emphasized his administration’s efforts to preserve and restore the mangrove ecosystem.
“We have made great efforts to preserve and restore our mangrove ecosystem. As a matter of fact, the law in the Philippines is, you cannot touch mangroves at all, and because of that, the mangroves have grown back,” the President said.
“In fact, they grow back so much that sometimes they are already beginning to block the rivers. So maybe there is much you can learn on the management of it because I think we have done as much as we can in terms of preservation,” he added.
Meantime, President Marcos thanked the UAE for its unwavering support for the Philippines and its timely assistance for the families affected by the unrest of Mayon Volcano in Albay province.
“Thank you. That is very, very generous of you,” said the President, adding that the Philippines would soon reciprocate the UAE government’s goodness to the Filipino people.
“Unfortunately, the Philippines falls victim not only to volcano explosions, but of course to typhoons, and earthquakes. We are in that part of the world where we are vulnerable. We are hoping that the activity of the volcano will start to calm. But we cannot say that for sure, but we are watching it closely,” he added.
Before the courtesy call, Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. and Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian received over 50 tons of humanitarian aid from the UAE government for the families affected by Mayon Volcano’s restiveness.
Marcos, who is set to visit Albay on Wednesday afternoon for a situational briefing, said he would inform the displaced residents of the UAE government’s “timely and very rapid and very large assistance” to them.
Garafil said the UAE officials had assured Marcos of their government’s willingness to provide any assistance to the Philippines and the Filipino people “not only during the country’s trying times but also during the good times.”
She said the UAE government also extended its invitation to the Philippine National Police to study cybercrime-related cases, including scholarship offering for police officers.