New Philippine ambassador to UAE sets two priorities

Ver succeeds Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana, who has set his own agenda as head of the Philippine Mission to the UAE. “Our strong relationship with the UAE, reflected in the recent expansion of areas of cooperation between our two countries, rests on the tremendous goodwill generated by the Filipino people in this country. Therefore, our dual priority is to promote The well-being of the Philippines and the further deepening of the Philippines-UAE relationship are two priorities that go hand in hand, with one door opening to the other.”

He added: “As the third largest expatriate population in the country, Filipinos in the UAE are not only important in numbers but also in terms of influence. that is why they are respected and welcomed in the UAE.” Meaningful Engagement

“This influence of Filipinos living in the UAE opens the door for embassies to engage meaningfully with host governments. The Philippines engages with the UAE on agriculture, space technology, consular cooperation, investment promotion and combating human trafficking , the Philippines and the UAE will sign a memorandum of understanding on culture, defense, advanced technology, and is expected to sign CEPA [Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement] in the next few months. Therefore, every Filipino is an integral part of the UAE team in the Philippines,” Ver continued.

Before coming to the UAE, Weir served as Assistant Secretary of the Philippines for Middle East and African Affairs. He has also served as the Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain and has served as Consul General in San Francisco, USA, and Turkey.

Ver graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (1986) and a Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (1995). In 2004, he obtained a master’s degree in public policy at the National Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan as a scholar of the Japanese Ministry of Education’s Young Leaders Program.

Ver is a career diplomat, having passed the Diplomatic Examination in 1993 and the Career Ministerial Examination in 2008. His first overseas assignment was in 1996 as Vice Consul at the Philippine Consulate General in Guam.