Revisiting Dubai

WHEN I met the Sheik Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoumof Dubai back in the 1970, I vividly remember the words that he imparted with us before we started designing and building the Dubai of the future. He said: “Design Dubai as if there is no oil. Create a garden city out of the desert. Travel around the world and take the best practices that we can adopt. Make Dubai a pacesetter city in the Middle East and North Africa in fifteen years, bring Dubai from the third to the first world.” The ruler of Dubai had visionary leadership, strong political will, good planning, good design, and good governance. He loved his country and his people.

When I was name-hired by the ruler of Dubai in the ‘70s, I was in my mid-20s and considered myself very fortunate to have been part of the team that transformed Dubai. I was the only Filipino, the only Southeast Asian. Just weeks ago, I had the chance to revisit the country with my children when we attended the Big5 Conference, the largest construction conference in the Middle East. I also had the opportunity to talk to a community of Filipino professionals through the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) – Dubai Chapter.