Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. was in Dubai to meet with the Filipino community and make the necessary preparations for the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte, which he said is slated to come to the country in either March or April.
Yasay stressed his coming would also “trigger the dialogues and negotiations of senior officials, not only of the DFA but also of the DTI and the DOLE in engaging the counterpart in negotiations in the purpose of arriving on the agreements that will be signed when the president comes to the UAE.”
The foreign affairs secretary arrived in Dubai for a short lay over on the evening of Monday, January 23 from his travel to Rome where he attended the resumption of peace talks between the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). He said he also had the chance to meet with Pope Francis in the Vatican to convey President Rodrigo Duterte’s personal message to the Catholic Church leader.
In his dialogue with the leaders of the Filipino community in Dubai and Northern Emirates and members of the Filipino media at the Canadian University Dubai auditorium, Yasay gave an assurance that the Duterte administration is working on ways to make sure that the OFWs will be able to go back to the Philippines and no longer be forced to find work abroad.
He also urged Filipinos in the UAE and in the Middle East to “be proud and project the qualities, values, and image of the Filipino”.
“When we are here in the UAE and Middle East, we are not known as Dabawenyos, we are not known as Illonggos, we are not known as Samarenos, we are known as Filipinos first and foremost. That to me is something that to be proud of. One of the first things that we must do is not only to live these values. We have to show that we are a good breed of people; we are dependable, honest, hardworking and we are also law-abiding,” Yasay said.
Yasay, a college dorm mate and long-time ally of President Duterte, revealed he was “warned” by the latter not to talk too much but rather to listen more to the voices of his compatriots in his dialogue with the Filipino community in the UAE.
