The Philippine missions in the UAE will be closed for four days, from August 23 to 26, due to two Philippine national holidays on Friday and next Monday. August 23, marked as Ninoy Aquino Day, is a national non-working holiday, while August 26 is celebrated as National Heroes’ Day. Regular weekends in the UAE fall on August 24 and 25. Despite the closure, the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi has provided emergency contact numbers for urgent matters: +971 50 813 7836 / +971 50 443 8003. The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai can be reached for various services as follows: for consular matters at +971 4 220 7100, for Assistance-to-Nationals (non-OFWs) at +971 56 501 5756, and for OFW assistance at +971 56 353 5558 / +971 50 652 6626.
Ninoy Aquino Day, observed annually on August 21, commemorates the assassination of former Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr., a prominent opposition figure and critic of then-president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. His wife, Corazon Aquino, succeeded him as the 11th Philippine President, and their son, Noynoy Aquino, became the 15th president. Ninoy was assassinated on August 21, 1983, at Manila International Airport, later renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor. This year, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. shifted the observance of Ninoy Aquino Day to August 23 to extend the weekend and promote domestic tourism, considering that August 26 is also a public holiday, National Heroes’ Day.
