First lady of Philippines, Louise Araneta-Marcos, visits Dubai, discusses trade ties

The First Lady of Philippines, Louise Araneta-Marcos, visited Dubai Chambers today to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties between the Dubai and the Philippines.

The meeting was attended by Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Chairman of Dubai Chambers, and Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers.

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Supporting companies from the Philippines

The chairman said, “This visit represents an important step in strengthening the relationship between Dubai and the Philippines and creating new opportunities for cooperation between our business communities."

He added that Dubai Chambers is "committed to supporting Philippine companies." During the meeting, a presentation highlighting Dubai's strategic location, advanced infrastructure and business-friendly environment was delivered. The potential areas for cooperation between the Philippines and Dubai were also detailed.

Growing ties

The visit comes amid growing trade and investment ties between Dubai and the Philippines, with non-oil bilateral trade reaching a value of Dh3.1 billion during 2024. A total of 653 Philippine companies joined Dubai Chamber of Commerce during the first nine months of 2025, bringing the total number of active members from the Philippines to 2,508 as of the end of September last year.

Dubai Chamber of Commerce successfully organised a trade mission to the Philippines last year featuring representatives from 17 Dubai private sector companies from diverse sectors. As part of the mission, the chamber facilitated 180 bilateral business meetings between members of the delegation from Dubai and their counterparts in the Philippines to explore opportunities for cooperation, expand business relations, and establish new partnerships across industries.

The chamber also organised a forum in Manila titled “Doing Business with the Philippines”, which was attended by 314 participants. On the sidelines of the forum, Dubai Chamber of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry to strengthen bilateral trade relations and explore new avenues for cooperation between the business communities in Dubai and the Philippines.

Supreeta Balasubramanian

supreeta@khaleejtimes.com