...still the above is factually inaccurate and a blatantly false statement.
It still is an ICAO license. How CAAP goes about implementing it is another game altogether. Yes they were downgraded by FAA and have regained category 1 again now.
I personally enjoyed flying in the Philippines and continue to enjoy recreational flying whenever my vacation permits. Also i have experienced some of the worst weather and shortest airstrips in the islands...so i do hold my fellow airmen/women from the islands in high regard. CAAP licensing practices do leave a lot to be desired but don't take away anything from the honest fliers.
(the unscrupulous ones....well we have the bad apples everywhere don't we?)
The OP has still not clarified if he is a UAE national...which if he is...honestly he has a good chance of making it to any of the majors regardless of where his license is from as long as it is an ICAO one.
I call BS. Filipino pilots love to brag about "how difficult" it's to fly there. Truth of the matter it's a cakewalk compared to most of the world. Very low traffic (except for Manila), tropical VFR weather most of the year with an occasional thunderstorm or rain shower.
I know Filipino pilots who have multi engine ratings (as well as Instructor) that have never had an engine pulled back in training. Ask him about Vmc, critical engine, asymmetric thrust, etc and you get the "deer in the headlight" look. There are helicopter rated pilots that have never done a settling with power demo or an autorotation, ever. Ask a private pilot or commercial pilot about airspace and they stumble around. The standards are abysmal to say the least.
Then, go find a CAAP ATP with an Airbus type rating. Ask what various symbols on the ECAM are and what do they mean? Ask simple systems questions, such as describe what the PMA does and how many are installed, and where?
The list goes on and on. CAAP is a disgrace. I know one helicopter pilot who has several types on his license, and has never flown one of them. But his buddy in CAAP got it put on for him, no problem! This same guy fried a couple of engines in helos by over torquing continuously, no idea of how the collective works.