Economic partnership pact to boost Pinoy exports to UAE — PH envoy

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed this month by the UAE and the Philippines will enable Filipino products to "compete with the mainstream market" due to the removal or reduction in tariffs, resulting in lower importation costs, the Philippine Consulate in Dubai said.

Speaking at a private sector event on food last Thursday, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ver told participants that, "We can build momentum. We provide the platform, you take advantage of it. CEPA could boost imports in the UAE by 9%." 

Ver said the CEPA will give Filipino manufacturers an advantage with other importers.

"It's your product that will compete. The CEPA is an arsenal. It's up to you to make use of it," Ver said at the Stakeholders Recognition Day and Gala Night 2026 hosted by the Prime Group.

Imports of UAE from the Philippines stood at $648.62 million in 2024, according to latest data by the United Nations Comtrade database on international trade.

With the UAE as a logistics and distribution hub in the region, the agreement has potential to open doors for more products from the Philippines to be in shelves across six member-countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)–UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar. Further, traders from African countries regularly visit UAE to buy products.

Philippine exports to the UAE include food products–such as fruits, nuts, edible preparations, cereal, flour, meat, and fish–and even electronic equipment, precious stones, and vehicles, among others.

The CEPA was signed on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026 early this month, witnessed by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who was in the country on a working visit, had expressed optimism that the CEPA would strengthen bilateral relations between the Philippines and UAE.

The agreement, he said, would open more opportunities for the Philippines and Filipinos by expanding trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges.

In his speech, Marcos highlighted the Filipinos' contribution to the development of the UAE.

According to the President, the UAE is home to one of the largest Filipino communities in the Middle East, with more than one million Filipinos currently living and working in the country. He said Filipinos have been contributing to the UAE economy since its early years in 1971. — VDV, GMA Integrated News