Dubai: Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ver has recently met with Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation on development projects in the Philippines.
During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on key sectors where ADFD’s support could help advance the Philippines’ national development goals.
Speaking to Gulf News, Ver welcomed the commitment of ADFD as it reaffirmed its readiness to back projects in the Philippines and expressed interest in deepening collaboration on future initiatives.
“Following the visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on January 12-14, 2026 and in light of the deepening bilateral engagements with the UAE with the signing of a number of agreements including the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the embassy sees this engagement with ADFD as another avenue for economic cooperation and collaboration.”
Last month, the UAE and the Philippines signed the CEPA, a strategic free-trade deal aimed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on goods, encourage bilateral investment, and make it easier for businesses to trade between the two countries.
How ADFD supports development
ADFD is a government-owned development institution mandated to promote socio-economic prosperity through collaborative initiatives.
“ADFD is the public sector development funding that extends concessional loans to finance infrastructure projects across key sectors such as road and transport, water and electricity, clean energy, healthcare, education, housing, and others. At this early stage, the Embassy and ADFD will seek to find the best opportunities where this may be most useful to the Philippines,” Ver told Gulf News.
The meeting has marked another step in the long-standing UAE-Philippines partnership to boost economic and development ties that would benefit both nations.
