Working place in the sand

For many Filipinos, Dubai is more than sand dunes and camels. It is a good place to find work. There are currently more than 100,000 overseas Filipino workers in Dubai and the number is expected to increase by about 30,000 to 40,000 in the next few years.

One major ongoing construction project is the $3-billion Palm Islands Project. Each of the two islands in this project has a construction timetable of about two years. The man-made islands, which will be shaped like palm trees so big that they will be visible from the moon, will be developed into self-contained communities. There will be two marinas that can provide up to 200 berths for local yacht owners and visiting vessels.

The twin islands will be encircled by breakwater landscaped with lush tropical vegetation. Several low-lying hotels, each with own theme such as Chinese and underwater, will be built along the beachfront.

Another construction project is the expansion of the Dubai International Airport. New terminals and concourses will be built as part of Dubai’s plan to be a regional flower center.

"In five years, we will be fully automated and this will be a regional hub for lower trading. Wholesalers can come and join the auction for the flowers coming in from Asia and Europe," said airport marketing director Anita Mehran Homayoum.

OFWs everywhere

Filipinos have played their part in the growth of Dubai, the main commercial and industrial center of the United Arab Emirates.

"Dubai is growing at an enormous pace," said Emirates Airline chief director Tim Clark. "Filipino workers are highly preferred here because they are fluent in English and are well-educated."

At present, Emirates, the official carrier of Dubai, has six flights from Manila to Dubai and vice-versa.

"There’s a lot of spillage. It’s a sad thing because Filipinos have to either go a long way to go home or they simply have to wait for a booking," he said.

This was confirmed by several OFWs who told The STAR they have to book as early as August to be able to come home for the Christmas holidays.

To service the needs of OFWs as well as to accommodate the cargo being flown between the two countries, Emirates would need to double its flights and to access another gateway, possibly Cebu.

"We were recently given additional flights, but it has a time period of only 30 days. That is not feasible especially with the huge investments to be sunk in for the additional flights," said Clark.

"In tourism alone, Emirates can promote the Philippines as part of its tourism packages if there are additional flights," said Emirates country manager Gigi Baroa.

With Dubai positioning itself as a major trading and tourism destination for Europe and Asia, there’s much for OFWs to think about.