PH Ambassador Leads 125th PH Independence Day with Joint Flag-Raising in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Lauds Filipinos for Helping Write UAE’s History
The joint flag-raising ceremony led by Alfonso A. Ver (6th from left) at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi grounds. (Abu Dhabi PE photo)
ABU DHABI 12 June 2023 — Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso A. Ver and Madame Caroline Belinda C. Ver led a joint flag-raising ceremony of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi with the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, attended by the officers and staff of both Posts, the attached agencies namely, the Office of Migrant Workers (OMW) for both emirates, the Defense, Trade, Agriculture and Social Welfare Attaches, and the members of the Filipino community in the UAE on 12 June 2023.
Held separately but simultaneously in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai while being broadcast live online, the ceremony highlighted how the one-million strong Filipino community in the UAE are united in their love for the motherland, Philippines.
Ambassador Ver noted how the theme of this year’s celebration, Kalayaan, Kinabukasan, Kasaysayan, closely parallels the Filipino narrative in the UAE. He said, "Kalayaan (Freedom) pertains to what our forefathers fought for, but also reflects how Filipinos are free to pursue opportunities in the UAE through diligence and talent. Kinabukasan (Future) signals our heroes’ yearning for a bright future for the motherland, bur also symbolizes how Filipinos are contributing towards shaping the future of the UAE through their contributions to this country’s economy and society, and their own future as well, in terms of providing for themselves, their family.
Lastly, Kasaysayan (History), our heroes made history through the birth of the Philippine nation, the first republic in Asia, and in the same vein, the Filipinos in the UAE are writing UAE’s history, having been present in this country since its foundation in 1971, through the Filipino engineers, architects, builders and workers that helped build the country’s early infrastructure. This is continued today with the presence of Filipino medical professionals, engineers, architects, teachers, and in virtually all other professions in this country."
The anthem during the flag ceremony was sung by a choir comprising of students from The Philippine Global School (TPGS) and The Philippine School (TPS), to whom Amb. Ver later donated books on Philippine culture and heritage, in the latter part of the program. Amb. Ver noted that the Filipino youth in the UAE, most of whom were either born in the UAE or educated in the country, need to re-discover their language, traditions, their roots and their identity as Filipinos even as their families have made the UAE their second home. In addition to students and teachers of the two schools, the ceremony and program at the Philippine Embassy were attended by The Bayanihan Council an umbrella organization of Abu Dhabi Filipino community groups, the Order of the Knights of Rizal Abu Dhabi Chapter, the Philippine Nurses Association UAE, as well as the Filipino Doctors of Aster's Klinika ng Bayan, that conducted a free medical check-up for attendees for the day. The official ceremony was followed by a Filipino breakfast consisting of fried rice, chicken tocino and egg, and rice-based Filipino delicacies puto, kutsinta and suman as dessert.
On the evening of 12 June 2023, at 7:50pm, Amb. Ver led the Embassy and Consulate teams together with the Filipino community in UAE in witnessing the lighting of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest building in the world, as well as the Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation (ADNOC) Building in Abu Dhabi with the colors of the Philippine flag symbolizing that the people of the UAE stands in solidarity with Filipinos and the Philippine Government as it celebrates 125 years of Philippine independence and nationhood. The UAE leadership headed by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE, sent congratulatory messages to Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos to mark the momentous event. END
Left photo: Ambassador Ver reads the Independence Day Message from H.E. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines, to the Filipino community audience at the event, including students of The Philippine Global School in Abu Dhabi that formed a choir and sang the Philippine national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang” at the ceremony. Right photo: Amb. Ver granted a donation of books on Philippine history, culture and heritage to the schools for the youth to re-discover their Filipino roots while in UAE. (Abu Dhabi PE photo)
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the ADNOC building in Abu Dhabi wore the colors of the Philippine flag on 12 June 2023. (Abu Dhabi PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.abudhabipe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinUAE/, https://twitter.com/PHinUAE or https://www.instagram.com/phinuae/.