UAE invites Philippines to join global mangrove alliance

The United Arab Emirates has invited the Philippine government to join the Global Mangrove Alliance, a collaboration that seeks to restore and conserve mangrove ecosystems.

During a courtesy call on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzaabi said they looked forward to having the Philippines on the Global Mangrove Alliance, which will help the country as it is prone to natural calamities and disasters.

Marcos, for his part, believed that joining the alliance would be good for the Philippines as he emphasized the government’s efforts to preserve and restore the mangrove ecosystem.

“We have made great efforts to preserve and restore our mangrove ecosystem. As a matter of fact, the law in the Philippines is, you cannot touch mangroves at all, and because of that, the mangroves have grown back,” Marcos said.

“In fact, they grow back so much that sometimes they are already beginning to block the rivers. So maybe there is much you can learn on the management of it because I think we have done as much as we can in terms of preservation,” he added.

Marcos said he would study the structure and work of the alliance, what will be the commitment of the Philippines to the group, and the commitment of other member countries.

He believed that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources would be pleased to join the alliance.

“But again, the preservation of the mangroves is a very big issue. It is a very important point for the Philippines because of all the waterways that we have,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, the UAE official invited Marcos to attend the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in December at the Expo City in Dubai.

When it comes to the economy, the envoy said there are a lot of UAE companies that want to build their businesses in the Philippines. He said the UAE government wants to introduce a new program, which is similar to what they have been doing to other countries.

“This program is to exchange information (between our) countries. We have more than 40 countries now in this program. It’s a government exchange program by the Office of the Prime Minister,” Alzaabi said.

He said the program was launched in 2018 as a “platform knowledge," in which the Philippines and the UAE can exchange information. This was already introduced in Egypt, Spain, Jordan and other countries.

The President then tasked Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to draft a memorandum of understanding regarding this, saying that he is looking forward to sign the pact with the UAE. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News