MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has returned from his working visit to the United Arab Emirates, bringing with him promises of several agreements with the country.
Marcos’ trip to the UAE was a brief one, lasting only a single day. He departed the Philippines on Monday night, November 25, and returned to Manila on Wednesday morning, November 27. The presidential plane touched down in the Philippines at 10 a.m.
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In a video statement released upon his return, Marcos said that he was able to meet with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as well as Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
“I look forward to the implementation of several bilateral agreements in culture, energy transition, legal cooperation, artificial intelligence and digital economy, the improvement of government activities, visa waiver for holders of diplomatic, special, and official passports, and investment cooperation,” Marcos said.
The Palace has yet to confirm what these agreements are, but one of the agreements originally slated to be signed between the Philippines and the UAE includes an environmental deal for the prevention of plastic waste leakage into the ocean.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts was also slated to sign a cultural agreement with the UAE.
The president admitted that his visit was shortened.
“I thanked Sheikh Al Nahyan for understanding that my visit had to be cut short, given the need to attend to relief and reconstruction activities in communities devastated by successive typhoons,” Marcos said.
During the latter part of October and the first weeks of November, the Philippines was hit by a historic string of six cyclones. Marcos extended his gratitude to the UAE government for the aid they gave during these disasters.
However, Marcos also left an increasingly tense political scene when traveled to the UAE.
On the weekend leading up to Marcos’ UAE trip, Vice President Sara Duterte publicly threatened to have Marcos and his kin killed if she died.
The threat triggered Malacañan to heighten security protocols around the president. The National Bureau of Investigation said that they are tracking the contract killer that Duterte said she contacted to have Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed.