Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to visit the UAE on the third week of May, an official has said.
The president is likely to visit the UAE on his way to Moscow, Gulf News quoted Perfecto Yasay Jr., secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), as saying at a meeting with community leaders in Abu Dhabi.
“This is tentative; a confirmed date will be announced later.”
He reportedly said he discussed the president’s proposed visit with the UAE officials in his bilateral meetings with them.
More than 600,000 OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) in the UAE have been eagerly waiting since Duterte’s proposed visit was announced late last year, the report said.
Yasay reportedly said establishing the “OFW Bank”, a dedicated bank for Overseas Filipino Workers, is a top priority of the Philippine government.
Discussions at official levels are progressing in this regard. Apart from offering many services, the bank will help reintegrate OFWs back home, he was quoted as saying.
Jeffrey Uy, president of Bayanihan Council, the umbrella organization of Filipino groups in Abu Dhabi, reportedly told Gulf News the bank will help OFWs save fees on remittances.
