Press Release
March 11, 2021

Senate adopts reso appreciating friendship, support of Abu Dhabi crown prince

The Senate on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, adopted a resolution expressing its profound appreciation for the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his gestures of compassion, concern, friendship, solidarity and support for the Filipinos in times of natural disaster and during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III handed over a copy of Senate Resolution No. 671 to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy Charge d'Affaires Sheikh Saoud Al-Mualla. The resolution, introduced by Sen. Richard Gordon, was adopted to coincide with the birthday celebration of Sheikh Mohamed.

Gordon said the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) humanitarian mission arrived in the country in January 2020 upon the directive of Sheikh Mohamed to assist the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in providing assistance to Filipinos affected by the Taal Volcano eruption. He said the ERC also partnered with the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi to launch a donation drive which benefited 200,000 families displaced by the Taal eruption.

According to Gordon, the ERC, also upon the directive of Sheikh Mohamed, worked with the PRC to establish a P19.9 million community health center in Dolores, Eastern Samar to serve 124,000 people affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda and rebuilt 18 schools in Eastern Samar destroyed by the same typhoon, at a cost of 17 million United Arab Emirates dirhams to accommodate 9,828 students in 102 classrooms with 15 indoor playgrounds and 12 auditoriums.

The UAE leadership also dispatched a special flight to the Philippines on April 29, 2020 to transport seven metric tons of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and medical aid that benefitted 7,000 medical frontliners in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gordon said the UAE, upon the directive of the crown prince, also allocated $9.5 million in humanitarian assistance for the victims of Typhoon Rolly on November 3, 2020 and dispatched a delegation to the Philippines to study on how best to provide assistance in the aftermath of the Category 5 super typhoon.

"His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has, on many occasions, given the highest honor to Filipino medical frontliners serving in the fight against coronavirus in the UAE, calling them personally, checking on their conditions, and assuring them of his support," Gordon said.

He said Filipinos felt the care and commitment of the UAE leadership through the benevolent policy of providing free COVID vaccination to all UAE residents, including 700,000 Filipinos working in the host country. "The Senate recognizes with deep appreciation the continued friendship of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and for extolling the heroism of Filipinos in the UAE in a genuine and humanitarian manner, through public media, for their contributions as an integral part of the UAE society in overcoming the challenges of the pandemic, thus further strengthening and deepening the friendly relations that long existed between our two peoples and our two nations," Gordon said.

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