By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet

Building on the momentum of the first trade deal that the Philippines signed with a Middle Eastern nation on Tuesday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. held high-level talks with top executives from a Dubai-based digital infrastructure company.

Accompanied by Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Frederick Go, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez, and other Cabinet officials, the President met with DAMAC Digital founder and chairperson Hussain Sajwani and other officials to work on planned investments for the Philippines.

Among the topics discussed in the talk were the establishment of a data center in Laguna, which is expected to bolster the country’s digital infrastructure sector by doubling down on the Southeast Asian nation’s untapped potential as a key hub for data centers, cloud services, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies.

DAMAC Digital is the digital infrastructure and data center arm of the Dubai-headquartered DAMAC Group. 

Originally launched in 2021 as EDGNEX Data Centres, the company was rebranded in June 2025 to reflect its expanded global ambitions and alignment with DAMAC Group’s strategic vision to become a leader in digital infrastructure.

The company designs, builds, and operates data centers that support hyperscale wholesale, retail colocation, cloud services, and AI-intensive workloads, with emphasis on innovation, sustainability, and global connectivity.

Meet-and-greet with Pinoys in UAE

Before concluding his two-day state visit to the United Arab Emirates, President Marcos Jr. went to the InterContinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi to meet with approximately 700 members of the Filipino Community in the Middle Eastern nation.

In his speech at the event, the President hailed their significant contributions to the rapid growth and development of the Arab country since it was established in 1971, calling overseas Filipinos a ‘source of pride and honor’ for their host country and the Philippines.

“Kayo po ang nagbibigay ng karangalan sa ating bansa sa pamamagitan ng inyong kontribusyon sa United Arab Emirates, sa magandang ehemplo na inyong ipinakita sa inyong trabaho, sa inyong mga kapwa Pilipino, sa pamahalaan ng UAE, sa iba’t ibang mga lahi na naninirahan dito, at sa kontribusyon ng inyong ibinigay sa ekonomiya sa ating minamahal na Pilipinas.” 

He went on by acknowledging the hard work, sacrifices, and dedication of Filipino migrant workers whom he touts as the ‘modern-day heroes’ of the country—recognizing their valiant efforts respected by their employers, work colleagues, and their families in the Southeast Asian nation.

The Chief Executive concluded his remarks by reaffirming the government’s commitment to look after their welfare through various programs, such as the OFW Serbisyo Caravan earlier held by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Chief Patricia Yvonne Caunan.

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