29 October 2017, Dubai, UAE. Consul General Paul Raymund P. Cortes led the openings of two of the Philippines' top brands at their flagship stores in Dubai: the Pancake House on Wednesday on 24 October 2017, and the retail store Bench at the Al on 26 October 2017.

The opening of these two Philippine brands comes at the heels of Dubai’s hosting of The Global Franchise Market which will be held at the World Trade Center at the end of this month.

Dubai has been a strong market for Philippine brands with Jollibee, Max's, Barrio Fiesta, Jayjay's, and several other food franchise stores. With an estimated 550,000 Filipinos in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Dubai has been always the first choice of various Philippine franchises in setting up an initial investment in the UAE. END