UAE’s magnanimous support keeps all OFWs in good stead

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Various forms of inter-governmental meetings and dialogues are central to the dynamic evolution of the human capital in a world that for decades has become a global village because of unavoidable migration by choice or circumstance.

This is also the reason for the perennial active participation of the Philippines at the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD, February 10 and 11 “ADD Seventh Ministerial Meeting 2024” and at the “World Governments Summit 2024” (“WGS2024”) concluding on Wednesday, both hosted this year by the Dubai Government.

Speaking to Gulf Today on Monday evening, Philippine Migrant Workers Officer-In-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac said it is noteworthy to understand that both labour-sending and labour-receiving nations are one and so operate on “shared equal responsibilities” to ensure that the protection and welfare of all migrants and overseas contractual worldwide, including their empowerment to help them realise their dreams and goals, and their un-challenged re-mainstreaming are realised.

“Partnerships and bilateral agreements are vital for the prudent implementation of the best practices which all overseas workers deserve. Like what Philippine and UAE officials have been doing in the past several decades. The (ADD) is one unique platform outside of the United Nations for that,” said Cacdac.

He was grateful to UAE Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation Abdulrahman Al Awar for the invitation to attend the “WGS2024, ” another avenue through which leaders and authorities get insights and trends from a whole range of thinkers, policy-makers and implementors.

“Like this morning (Monday), the focus was also on (the labour force),” Cacdac volunteered.

It was in reference to the keynote speech of World Economic Forum chairperson Klaus Scwhab. That despite turmoil and turbulence, and the advancements in the fields of Science and Technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, leading to “rapid changes,” leaders and authorities must always remember that at the heart are the people, which progress and development could not live without.

On Tuesday afternoon, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ferdinand Ver told Gulf Today: “There can be no clearer indication of the Philippine Government’s keen desire to continue to improve government services, than in the strong representation of our officials at the (WGS2024), comprising of Secretary Ivan Uy of the Department of Information Communications Technology, Officer-In-Charge (Cacdac) of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, and Mayor Buenaventura Trenas of Iloilo City.

Coming from different branches – executive and legislative – and levels of government – national and local – our Philippine officials are seeking to discover innovative solutions in the provision of service to the people, which is the main thrust of the WGS.

“Through WGS, the UAE has been providing governments for the past decade a platform to interact with counterparts and experts from the academe and the business sector towards addressing future challenges. This year’s WGS theme, ‘Shaping Future Governments,’ discusses the implications and opportunities provided by artificial intelligence and future trends, with Sam Altman, co-founder and chief executive officer of OpenAI which developed the ChatGPT, as one of the speakers,” he also said.

Ver continued: “The participation and support of a high-level Philippine delegation to the UAE’s flagship initiative ‘WGS2024’ is another step towards bolstering Philippines-UAE collaboration as we celebrate this year the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.”

With Cacdac at the “ADD2024” were DMW-Policy and International Cooperation Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne Caunan, DMW-Pre-Employment Services Assistant Secretary Levinson Alcantara, DMW-Policy and Cooperation Bureau Director Jainal Rasul Jr., and Labour Attache for Dubai and the Northern Emirates John Rio Bautista.

Cacdac and Caunan delivered their respective presentations on how the Marcos Administration has been dealing with the issues and concerns of the approximately eight million OFWs worldwide.

Thrust of the Philippine delegation was the improvement on the programmes concerning financial literacy, digitalisation of OFW services like the OFW Pass, and the transfer of acquired knowledge and skills of all OFWs to their fellow countrymen back home. It is looking forward to bilateral agreements with all the labour-receiving Gulf states.

The permanent headquarters of the ADD, created in 2008, is the UAE.