02 July 2017, Dubai, U.A.E. Philippine Consul General to Dubai Paul Raymund Cortes led the Filipino Community special Thanksgiving mass in view of Philippine Independence Day at the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Dubai last 30 June 2017. Around 5,000 Filipinos from across Dubai and the Northern Emirates participated in the special mass, capping a month and a half long celebration of the 119th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.

Last 12 May 2017, some 20,000 trooped to Dubai's World Trade Center to celebrate Philippine Independence Day, which fell in the middle of Ramadan this year. On 12 June 2017, a flag raising ceremony and then an ecumenical celebration was held at the Philippine Consulate General grounds where over 300 Filipino community leaders attended the event.

Consul General Cortes always stressed in his addresses to these community events that milestones such as Philippine Independence Day must be celebrated by the community in tandem with the Consulate as a manifestation of the collaboration between the public and private sector communities, a reflection of the need to be a united front especially among overseas Filipinos. END