Pai as he is fondly called is a native of Maguing, Province of Lanao del Sur. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws in 1976 from the University of the East, Manila and passed the Philippine Bar in the following year.
He joined the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippines, in 1977 as Country Desk Officer for the Middle East and Africa. As first assignment, he was posted as Foreign Trade Analyst at the Office of the Commercial Attaché in New Delhi, India from 1978 to 1982. Posted again, from February 1999 to August 2002 as Commercial Attaché to the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC), Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After a brief stint in the home office, he served as Commercial Attaché, Philippine Embassy, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from January 2004 to June 2006 and re-assigned back from July 2006 up to present as Trade Representative to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other GCC Countries, based at the Commercial Section of the Philippine Consulate General, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Among his special assignments were during Presidential Visits that include:
- As Coordinating Officer for Business Matters to Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Visits to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2006 Re ASEAN Summit and to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in September 2009;
- As Control Officer for Bilateral Relations to Former President Joseph E. Estrada Visits to Singapore and Malaysia in 1998; and
- As Committee Chairman on Business Matters to Former President Fidel V. Ramos Visits to Qatar and Bahrain and to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1995.
He handled the following Trade & Investments Missions as Project Director/Disbursing Officer:
- RP Investment Mission to Middle East headed by USec Elmer C. Hernandez - November 2009
- Philippine Halal Food Selling Mission to the Middle East- April 2009
- Philippine Construction Mission to KSA - April 2007
- Mindanao Trade & Investment Mission to KSA - March 2007
- IFEX Roadshow to the Middle East (Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait & Bahrain)- November 2006
- Philippine Trade & Investment Mission to the Middle East/Headed by former DTI USec. Cesar Bautista- 1993
- Philippine Business Economic Mission to the Middle East/Headed by Former DTISec. Peter Garrucho - 1993
Trade Officer Abdullah also gained wide exposure and vast knowledge on Trade and Investment Promotion matters, having attended conferences, seminars and trainings on these fields in other major markets of the world that include: Madrid, Ireland, Australia, India, Singapore and Malaysia.
Pai is married to Esterlynn Pangandaman Abdullah with whom they are blessed with four (4) children.
His e-mail address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it