Marcos optimistic about cooperation with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

Mohamed Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), visits President Ferdinand Marcos at Malacañang Palace on Monday, August 12. | Photo courtesy PCO

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos said on Monday he hopes to establish a mutually beneficial partnership with the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) to help the Philippines cope with the potential use of nuclear energy.

Marcos made the statement during a meeting with ENEC Chairman and CEO Mohammed Hammadi, who paid a courtesy call on Marcos at Malacañang Palace on Monday afternoon.

“I’m glad that we have this opportunity … for you to visit us because this is a topic that we have been talking about for a long time. Especially after the pandemic, I’m trying to figure out what the needs of the government are,” Marcos said in welcoming Hammadi.

“This has become a very high priority. I hope we can find ways to help each other in this regard,” he added.

Hamadi paid a courtesy call to Marcos after First Lady Lisa Araneta Marcos led a Philippine delegation, including Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, Catherine Yupimentel, Benito Te Chico, Rafael Consing, and Ambassador Alfonso Vere, to meet with ENEC in the United Arab Emirates from June 27 to 29, 2024, according to a statement from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

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During the meeting, Cojuangco and Hammadi said they had extended an invitation to President Marcos to participate in the International Declaration on Triple Nuclear Energy – Target 2024, which was presented at the United Nations General Assembly in September this year.

Lisa, for her part, promised to discuss the invitation with the President, explaining that the Department of Foreign Affairs has “consolidated the opinions of relevant agencies on the possible participation of the Philippines.”