UAE ‘grateful’ to OFWs, says Binay after meeting with crown prince

Vice President Jejomar Binay has met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi as part of his three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), home to over 900,000 Filipino workers.

Binay said the meeting with Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which lasted for 30 minutes, was “very warm and cordial.”

“The meeting was a surprise, we were told only this (Tuesday) morning. It wasn’t part of the schedule. But it’s a good opportunity,” Binay said in a statement. “Sheikh Mohammad said he would very much like to visit the Philippines in the future.”

“He said the UAE was grateful to the Filipinos who live and work here,” he added.

The Vice President said they also talked about potential investment opportunities in the Philippines in areas of power and infrastructure.

Binay, who served as presidential adviser for OFW affairs, also met with UAE Labor Minister Shaqr Ghobash to discuss three new labor decrees that will secure “more stable practices governed by regulations that protect workers who are legally sponsored to enter the UAE.”

The opposition leader also shared lunch with 39 wards of the Philippine Labor Office, visited Philippine Global School-Abu Dhabi, and attended a Filipino community event hosted by the Bayanihan council.