The Republic of the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates established their diplomatic relations in 1980. The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi was opened in the same year.
The significant increase in the number of Filipinos in Dubai and the Northern Emirates during the late 1990s and early 2000s, which came alongside the rapid development of Dubai as a major tourism destination, became an impetus for the establishment of a consulate in the emirate. The consulate general opened to the public on 06 April 2004 and has consular jurisdiction of the emirates of Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm al Quwain, and Fujairah.
The very first Philippine Consul General in Dubai was Generoso D.G. Calonge. Since then the consulate has had heads of mission, namely: Antonio Curameng (2006-2008); Benito Valeriano (2008-2012); Frank R. Cimafranca (2012-2015); Paul Raymund P. Cortes (2015-2021); the current Consul General, Renato N. Dueñas, Jr., who assumed post in November 2021. He is assisted by Vice Consuls Elizabeth P. Ramos, Aleah Marie B. Gica, and Paola Belle D. Ebora.
The Consulate supervises the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Dubai which were both established some years earlier, in 1986 and 1988, respectively.
Awards received by the Philippine Consulate General from the Department of Foreign Affairs:
- 2022 – Assistance-to-Nationals Award (Group Category) in recognition of the Team’s successful implementation of the DFA-chartered repatriation flights from June to September 2021, bringing home 3,362 distressed Overseas Filipinos
- 2021 – Best Organization Award (Consular Section) for developing an automated online appointment system that enables end-to-end processing and document tracking, as well as in-house Quick Response (QR) system that facilitates and ensures seamless entry and retrieval of clients to the Consulate
- 2020 – Special Citation in recognition of the Consulate’s exemplary contribution, commitment and valuable assistance to the ongoing repatriation efforts of the Department in providing responsive, timely and efficient repatriation efforts in light of the Covid-19 pandemic
- 2019 – Assistance-to-Nationals Award (Group Category) in recognition of the Consulate’s exemplary performance of leading the mass repatriation of amnesty-seekers during the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Immigration Amnesty program and providing efficient, effective and client-centered Consular and Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) services to over 400,000 Overseas Filipinos under its jurisdiction
- 2017 – Best Organization Award
