Newly-arrived Philippine Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Alfonso Ferdinand A. Ver met with leaders of various Filipino groups in Dubai and the Northern Emirates at a townhall meeting held at the Rizal Hall of the Philippine Consulate in Dubai and the Northern Emirates on 28 January 2023.
Some 50 guests representing socio-civic organizations, businesses, Philippine schools, and professional groups attended the event to welcome the new ambassador in his new posting.
In his remarks, Ambassador Ver urged the members of the Filipino community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates to keep “raising their game” amid the changing social and economic milieu in the UAE.
In the open forum, the Ambassador heard from the various groups their projects as well as concerns affecting their profession or businesses in the UAE. Ambassador Ver assured each group that he was prepared to work with all of them on issues that would benefit the welfare of all Filipinos in the UAE.
Ambassador Ver arrived in the country on 19 January 2023. He is the Philippines’ ninth envoy to the UAE since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries on 19 August 1974. Ambassador Ver served as the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Middle East and African Affairs of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs prior to this posting. Previously, he also served as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain from 2015- 2021; and as Consul then Deputy Consul General at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, California, USA from July 2009 to September 2012.