Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ferdinand Ver has encouraged a delegation of his countrymen-exporters to take advantage of the positive changes and to play a more active part in the region.

Ver who arrived in Abu Dhabi on January 19 and officially began his tour-of-duty on February 6 after presenting his credentials to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Matoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, met the delegation on Friday.

Composed of representatives from 26 halal-certified food and beverage, beauty/cosmetics/health and wellness products as well as jewellery companies in the Philippines, the delegation was at the Grand Millennium-Business Bay in Dubai for the last leg of the “Outbound Business Matching Mission to the Gulf Cooperating Council Countries” organised by Manila’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in collaboration with the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre-Dubai.

They are participants to the February 20 to 24 “Gulfood Food & Beverage Exhibition” at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Prior to the start of the business-to-business (B2B) networking of the exporters with local and regional consolidators, Ver, the Philippines’ top diplomat in Bahrain from 2015 to 2021 who served as the Department of Foreign Affairs Middle East and African Affairs Office Assistant Secretary thereafter, dropped by each booth of the exporters.

In his consequent address, Ver stated his observation that many, if not majority of the visiting exporters already penetrated the USA, the Philippines’ number one export market, and Europe: “I ask you now to look at the UAE. Look at the Middle East. It is a rapidly changing area.”

He enumerated recent developments across the country and throughout the region that ignite anyone’s interest: the inauguration of the Abrahamic Family House consisting of a church, a synagogue and a mosque in the capital that farther inclusivity, unity and tolerance in a multiethnic society; the lead of the UAE and its neighbours towards renewable energy not only as a diversification from their oil-dependent economies but also to contain climate change; and the importance given to innovation and happiness, among others.

Ver pointed out that out of the Expo2020 Dubai came the Republic of the Philippines-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, a boost not only to the bilateral trade relations but more importantly becoming another pivot to investments in both countries benefitting their citizens.

He expressed hope that as the Philippine Government officials continually pursue the one-country team approach, the visiting delegation, being members of the private sector, pursue active engagements in their respective specializations with their counterparts in the UAE and the region for improving people-to-people relations.

Witness to the strong Philippine Government support, is chemist-daughter of coconut farmer-parents Maura Mitra Pasciolco whose husband, a son of coconut farmers also in Quezon Province, was once a truck driver in Saudi Arabia. They set up their own Pasciolco Agri Ventures upon marriage in 1993 and since then have been exporting 14 organic coconut products to 11 countries in Asia, North America and Europe. With Maura’s expertise, their coconut virgin oil had been certified by the Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to be Novel Coronavirus-resistant: “DOST grants us loans and equipment.”

The annual B2B, is an annual complementary support to first-time and repeat exporters relative to Gulfood. The delegation is being led by DTI-Trade Promotions Group officer-in-charge Undersecretary Glenn Penaranda, DTI-Export Marketing Bureau officer-in-charge Director Bianca Sykimte and Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions Executive Director Edward Fereira.

“The Philippines is continuously strengthening its halal ecosystem to be able to better serve the growing halal market. The mission aims to contribute to increased understanding of Philippine exporters on the halal market in the GCC,” said Penaranda.

He was hopeful that through the Friday B2B in Dubai and the upcoming Gulfood, alongside the B2Bs in Manama, Bahrain (February 11-13), Kuwait City, Kuwait (February 13-14), and Doha, Qatar (February 14-16), “partnerships” evolve “attaining food security through cooperation and innovation.”

On halal certification, grateful for having met Prime Group (formerly Geosciences Testing Laboratory) chief executive officer Mary Jane Alvero-Al Mahdi, a chemical engineer, in 2018, was C and H Cosmetics Industry Chief Financial Officer Apple Raca who co-owns the beauty/essential/home care products manufacturing company with her husband, Henry. They have been exporting to 16 countries: “Being halal is the first requirement especially here in the UAE and the Middle East. No animal fats. All our products must be of floral placenta. I believe in halal. It concerns our health.”