All the way in Abu Dhabi, in the company of fellow travelers Alex Magno and Juliet Jalbuena, as outsiders it was eerie for us to watch TV headlines unfolding in the Philippines the way they did within a time frame of 48 hours.

There was the homecoming of a hero worth his weight in gold, and the recognition of the other hero, Efren Peñaflorida, worth every penny of his $125,000 prize from CNN, for literally pushing literacy in a pushcart. And then, as if to wipe out with an incalculable dose of perversion all the goodwill that Manny Pacquiao and Efren had collected with the sweat of their brow, the horror of the massacre of 46 civilians in Maguindanao.

To be aware of such bizarre extremes in a place as placid as the United Arab Emirates! UAE, where fuel is tax-free, water is not metered and therefore not sold, where 208 nationalities live together in  peace and prosperity, forming 80 percent of the population (yes, the natives make up less than 20 percent ina desert teeming with gleaming public buildings, majestic hotels, jaw-dropping resorts, etc. – what their Minister of State for Foreign Affairs calls its “glitzy developments.”

On the occasion of UAE’s 38th founding anniversary on Dec. 2, 91 journalists from all over the world were invited to celebrate its spectacular transformation. “But the development is much deeper” than the glitz and gloss, said Minister Dr. Anwar Gargash, pointing out that “the most important success story is our women.” Even as they move about in their traditional black robes and veils, the women of the Emirates “break Islamic and Arabic stereotypes” everywhere in society and the professions.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Emiratis’ 95 percent literacy rate is due to their women – mothers and teachers -- so maybe it’s safe to assume that our Efren won’t be thinking about migrating to UAE anytime soon to teach the children there.