Marcos back from UAEPresident Marcos greets the Filipino community in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos returned yesterday from his two-day working visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he witnessed the forging of two key agreements designed to strengthen trade and defense cooperation with the Middle Eastern country. According to the President, CEPA will expand Philippine market access in the Gulf region and diversify both sources and markets of essential goods. In a separate statement, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said free trade with the UAE is a major boost for Philippine exporters. During the meeting, Marcos and Sajwani discussed opportunities for collaboration in the Philippines’ digital infrastructure sector, underscoring the country’s potential as a hub for data centers, cloud services and AI-driven technologies.

Source: Philippine Star January 14, 2026 16:24 UTC