Message

Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the UAE on the occasion of the124th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence

Together with my compatriots across the UAE, we join the Filipino nation in commemorating the 124th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day on this auspicious day, June 12, 2022. This commemoration will be marked with utmost dignity and solemnity in respect to the passing of the late His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whose demise we continue to mourn in solidarity with the entire UAE nation.

Both the Philippines and the UAE are aware of the significance of this month as an important turning point in our respective histories. As the people of UAE welcomed His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the nation’s new President, Filipinos will also be turning a new page and usher in a new set of leaders. I thank the members of the Filipino community for working hand in hand with the Philippine Embassy and Consulate General in ensuring an orderly, smooth and successful overseas voting, with the kind support of the government of the UAE.

As a country, we have so much to look forward to. A robust economy standing on the strength of the policies and accomplishments of the outgoing Duterte administration, we have in our hands valuable building blocks needed for us to build together a strong republic. Since the establishment of the UAE more than 50 years ago, young and dynamic Filipinos have become part of the UAE’s vision of a modern, inclusive, and innovative nation. Filipino engineers, architects, doctors, nurses, chefs, indeed people of all professions, have gained respect and renown for the work they have done and are doing in this blessed nation. They have become part of the UAE’s multicultural fabric, embracing the UAE as their second home.

As Ambassador, it is my commitment to exert all efforts to see our strong people-to-people connections being matched by deeper and closer bilateral ties, especially as we celebrate this year the 48th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-UAE diplomatic relations. The UAE’s focus on innovation and technology is being complemented by Philippine talent and expertise as we expand relations to cover cutting-edge areas such as space cooperation, artificial intelligence, and advanced science and technology. We are hopeful that we will see this year the signing of bilateral agreements on important areas such as agriculture, investments, space, culture, and defence. Recently, we both committed to commence negotiations on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which will further fortify trade and investment ties between our two countries. Together, we Filipinos will face the challenges of a new tomorrow, in full trust of the Divine Providence who gave strength and courage to our forefathers 124 years ago as they faced the task of building a new nation, the Philippines.

Mabuhay ang mga Pilipino sa UAE! Mabuhay ang Republika ng Pilipinas!