Innholdsfortegnelse for TGFM Issue 2 - May 2020 i The Global Filipino Magazine

I ALWAYS believe that arriving at one goal is the starting point of another Words I’ve written here will not suffice to thank all the individuals and groups who have supported and trusted The Global Filipino Magazine which aims to champion the greatness of the Filipinos across the globe through quality writing and give inspiration to those people who need their spirits to be uplifted. To our readers, we’ve added five more feature stories under The Global Filipino | The Story of Our Success so many inspiring stories of Global Filipinos will be covered and give inspiration to the growing number of our readers in and outside the Middle East. I would also like to thank the Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, thank you Amba for allowing…

Spending 29 years of his life in Dubai, Filipino art director Jonathan Paul Aggarao considers the emirate as his second home. He works in a company called Q&A Advertising LLC, a business run by his family members who are also into creative content production. His father worked for a top advertising agency in UAE for decades and his mother is an accountant and is tasked to look over the financial side. He, along with his siblings, followed their parents in Dubai in 1991 and lived here ever since. Immersed in creative contents, he and his friends who he grew up with in Dubai, co-founded the Record Box Production, a videography department under the umbrella of his parent’s company. They aim to be part of the era of creative cinematography using…

Abdulhamid Omar Bandon has worked almost every possible job in Dubai. He jumped from a nonnal restaurant staff, customer service industry to corporate corporate. Bandon, 38, now works at Duke Tourism/Duke Commercial Broker LLC in the operations department -- mainly checking all visa status of their clients, answering inquiries with regard to ticketing, visa and tours, among others. "My current job's ultimate goal is to keep our clients satisfied and loyal for future purposes. I enjoy making a small difference in someone's life through my work. I also appreciate the satisfaction of having such a big impact on someone I have never actually met," Bandon said. But before getting into this, he had to work as a shawanna maker first (his friends fondly call him 'shawanna boy') which was his…

HUNDREDS of thousands of Fiipinos are thanking the government of the United Arab Emirates for sending an aid plane containing seven metric tons of medical supplies to the Philippines that will be used by the frontliners to combat the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus. The medical supplies can assist approximately 7,000 medical professionals as they work tirelessly to contain the spread of the virus and treat patients who have been afflicted with Covid-19. "Through the provision of critical medical aid, the UAE affirms its commitment to offering a helping hand to the Philippines. Our two countries share a deep partnership between our governments and peoples, and it is our sincere hope that such assistance enables the Philippines to take the necessary action to defend itself against Covid-19," Hamad Saeed…

A FILIPINA frontliner in Dubai has gone viral online after having a once-in-a-lifetime experience to speak with one of the rulers and members of the Royal Family in the UAE. Jessa Dawg Ubag, who works as a licensed nurse under the Dubai Health Authority, was able to speak with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. In the viral video, she tells the crown prince her experience as a frontliner and tasked to look after patients who caught the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). Ubag, a Dumaguete native, one of her patients who was in her 20s and her health deteriorated to the point that she needed to be on a ventilator. “With no visitors allowed, I would…

A TOP official from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Dubai announced in a Facebook live interview that only 17,000 displaced OFWs in Dubai shall receive the AED730 one-time cash assistance. So far, the agency has only given the cash assistance to 6,924 OFWs in Dubai and the Northern Emirates who have been either terminated due to Covid-19 or on a no-work-no-pay scheme. “We have to consider that everything would all depend on the budget kasi yung iba, sinasabihan kami na paasa but that’s why we are telling that we are only good for the 17,000 Filipino workers until such time that we can receive or meron tayong matanggap ulit na instruction na madagdagan. But at the moment, tayo ay nasa 17,000 Filipino workers allocation,” Labor Attache Felicitas Bay said.…

A BUNCH of Facebook groups have been launched on Thursday, May 28 for Filipinos abroad to trade their pre-loved items for essential needs now that almost everyone is affected by the crisis brought by the novel coronavirus. After the successful launching of the Amicable Barter Community in Dubai (ABCD), the President and Founder of the Filipino Institute Mr Gabriel John Rimado mirrored the initiative through Filipino Barter Community (FBC). This time, the coverage gets wide. “In times of crisis, most of the people don’t have the means to buy food and groceries. You only have your pre-loved items that can be exchanged with grocery items so you’d survive for another day,” Rimando said. OFWs from Al Ain, Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Oman, Sharjah, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Ajman,…

He describes himself as a happy-go-lucky guy who knows his limitations while being ‘well rounded.’ 30-year-old Business Development Executive Mark Joseph Guevarra has been working with Travelwings for years now. It’s a Dubai-based tourism brand online, and Mark, as his primary duty, is tasked to grow their business up to its potential. Guevarra, a Batangueno, considers being a business developer to be the highlight of his career in the host country. He also considers himself as a ‘lover of challenges.’ Before venturing in the desert of UAE, he was part of a BPO company in the Philippines, taking unending calls for over six months until he was finally promoted in the recruitment department where he was tasked to source and conduct interviews of new customer service representatives. A Psychology graduate,…

FILIPINOS are naturally helpful. It’s as if they’re born to help if someone needs a hand. During the Covid-19 pandemic, here in the Middle East, the words ‘kapit bisig’ and ‘bayanihan’ were given a new meaning as majority of ‘capable’ Filipinos help their kabayans who are in need or who are currently suspended or on ‘no work no pay’ scheme, permanently terminated, and especially those on visit or tourist visas. Just before the Philippine government releases the AED 730 cash assistance through the Philippine Overseas and Labor Offices and Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (POLO-OWWA), many private entities have already responded to the calls of the kabayans who are in dire need. ‘Pagkaing Pinoy Food Pack’ The CDA-regulated group Filipin Social Club has been very busy providing relief packs to Filipinos…

REALME, the fastest growing smartphone brand in the world, unveils the latest in the UAE with realme 6Pro and realme C3. realme is known for its vibrant and fun smartphones designed especially for the younger audience upon the trifecta of strong performance, trendy design, and affordable pricing. After a huge success of realme 6 & 6i, realme has come up with a brand-new succession model realme 6 Pro with the classiest and most exquisite design possible. realme for the first time bought a quad camera design on the rear and dual camera on the front of the Pro series, making it truly magnificent with top-notch performance. The realme 6 Pro comes with a 16.6cm wide 90Hz Ultra Smooth Display Pro design and features the powerful Snapdragon 720G with Kryo 465…

AMID a pandemic, the Filipino Institute (FI) continues to provide quality education to Filipinos across the globe and help them boost their career and self-development. Responding to the UAE government’s call to temporarily shut schools and institutions, the FI, Filipinos’ first choice in getting high-quality education in GCC, opted to adapt to a remote learning system. Through Zoom, FI’s trainers connect, train and share knowledge and insight to the students who have enrolled online. According to FI Founder and President Mr. Gabriel John Rimando, around 800 have enrolled in the first batch when they have started to roll out the courses online on April 3. Among the online courses that FI has been offering online since March are Caregiving 1.1, Basic HR and Admin, Nursing Assistant, Document Control, Web Designing,…

Donell gumiran About the photographer is a photographer by passion. He sees himself as an imagemaker who captures and tells a story in a photograph. His photography is an art form, borne from his desire to create on canvas and professional training in design.…

A FILIPINO physician based in the UAE said ‘physical barrier’ is important if someone living in shared accommodation showed symptoms or tested positive for Covid-19. “Basic recommendation ng international guidelines sa home quarantine is to have a separate room,” Dr. Alvin Torres said in a Facebook live interview at the Kalayaan 2020 page. He recommends that instead of using curtains to maintain privacy in double bunk beds, they should use shower curtains as it’s easier to clean and disinfect compared to cloth curtains. Torres cited some research that the virus can easily lodge itself in clothes. “There have been studies showing that the virus doesn’t stay long in the air if the room is well-ventilated,” he added. He further added that social distancing must always be observed especially in common…

OVERSEAS Filipino workers (OFWs) around the world who have received cash assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO) are thankful for the ‘big’ help given especially to those who were displaced from work due to the impact of Covid-19 in the economy. POLO has started to roll out the one-time financial assistance of AED 730 or $200 for displaced land based and seabased Filipino workers due to Covid-19 in April. As of May 12, DOLE has received more than 400,000 applications from OFWs worldwide, three times more than the agency’s target of 150,000 OFWs. Of more than 142,000 approved applications, more than 100,000 OFWs around the world have received the cash assistance by filling-out an online form on POLO’s website. Applicants…

Filipino lawyer Atty. Barney Almazar is just one of the foot soldiers of the Constitution abroad. Aside from being a great lawyer, he is also actively holding and providing free legal aid to the Filipino community through the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai. The director of the Gulf Law has been in the Middle East for seven years now, but the amount of people he had helped in the past is immense. Be it problems on salaries, debt, bouncing cheques, divorce and annulment and amnesty issues, Almazar is always the trusted lawyer of Filipinos in the country. One of his greatest achievements recently was assisting a Filipino mother and her three children to waive a total of AED 712,400 in overstaying fines. The amount in peso that he had waived…

- RN; RM; BSN; MBA She believes that success isn’t just about what accomplishes in life, it’s what she inspires. Amy Magracia-Miranda, a registered nurse, has been fulfilling his late mom’s dream by being a successful medical practitioner by taking care of mothers and children. Currently, the seasoned nurse is working as a nurse consultant in a private company in Sharjah for a project to open a new maternity and children’s hospital. Prior to becoming successful in his career, Miranda has to endure obstacles she had never thought of overcoming along the way. Being the youngest among six siblings and belonging to a broken family, she recalled those dark days where she described life as ‘very hard’. Miranda being sickly, grew up shy and timid because of their life situation.…

His knack for sharing his stories is captured through the lens. He and his camera have already won numerous awards both local and international. As a matter of fact, Donell Gumiran, a Dubai-based internationally-acclaimed photographer is also a photographer and contributor for the Asian Geographic Magazine. Gumiran, the design director and co-founder of Deerect, an advertising agency based in Dubai, has an extensive background of more than 20 years in art, design, branding, and photography. The entrepreneur has been a design director for branding, always up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques in regards to international design to accustom himself to any culture and region in an innovative style generating distinctive, memorable and remarkable work that it thought of from many different solid angles to provide multi-directional yet suitable outcomes.…

DESPITE the number of total Covid-19 cases in the country, people across the globe commend UAE's efforts in making sure its residents are safe while they fight and curtail the spread of the deadly virus. In an article published by TGFM on Facebook with title 'HIGHTECH: Dubai is using drones to sanitize the city', it garners more than 43,000 shares with 254,000 impressions and has gone viral not only in the UAE but also in other parts of the world. "UAE has always been in this game! Making its residents safe by using new technology. What do you expect?" one Facebook user comments. The drones have been used across Abu Dhabi and Dubai during the National Sanitation Program period. The capital has equipped mechanical robots to heighten its sanitation drive.…

THE global health crisis poses unprecedented challenge for private and public sectors in the Middle East. Keeping track on the latest employment law changes in this region is critical at this point in time for HR practitioners, in-house lawyers and business owners. Governments continuously adjust their legislations and issue guidelines with the aim to alleviate the current condition of employers and employees badly hit by the pandemic. To offset the negative impact to businesses, government entities also actively monitors the impact of the outbreak and to come up with measures to regain commercial viability and economic stability. Employment law is one of the focus areas of governments for amendment this past quarter. Let us look at the developments so far: The UAE government implemented the remote working system in the…

THE founder and president of the Filipino Institute has recently launched an online portal wherein Filipinos in the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar can register if they are in dire need of assistance such as food, shelter and/or if they have governmental issues facing. The ‘Tulong ng Filipino Institute’ initiative will benefit displaced overseas Filipino workers due to Covid-19 pandemic. To register, please type https://bit.ly/2Mz3AA1 in your browser or go to the Filipino Institute and search for the post. “The Filipino Institute is not only committed in helping Filipinos through giving quality education and opportunities to go abroad, it is also committed Filipinos in need, especially these trying times,” Mr. Gabriel John Rimando, founder and president of the Filipino Institute said. The company started to distribute grocery packs on June 7…

PHILIPPINE Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn M. Quintana has thanked the host country for taking care of the Filipinos amid Covid-19 outbreak. “Ang United Arab Emirates ay naging second home sa 650,000 Filipinos at ito ay itinuturing nilang isang bayan na nagkakalinga sa kanila at nakikita namin ito sa arawaraw na nagkaroon nitong mga pag-iingat sa pandemic ng Covid-19,” Quintana said in a video posted on the official Twitter account of UAE Government. She also praised the country as a model of multiculturalism. “Isang kahanga-hangang makita na about 200 nationalities ay naririto at naninirahan at nakapagbuo ang United Arab Emirates ng isang lipunan na nagkakaisa at may kauyusan,” she added.…

THE Philippines is expecting some 300,000 returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) throughout the whole year due to the Covid-19 crisis. As many countries ease the travel restrictions and as the government continues with its repatriation efforts for the displaced OFWs, many don’t know what to expect upon arrival in the airports in the Philippines. Upon arrival in NAIA, all passengers will be queueing for thermal screened, however, pregnant women, senior citizens, and persons with medical conditions will be prioritized. Meanwhile, business class passengers are always first in line for the whole process in NAIA. The passengers will now be proceeding in the holding room while maintaining social distancing. Drinking water will be provided and going to the restrooms is allowed but their passports must be surrendered to officers. While inside…

THE Filipino Community in Kildare, Ireland has raised more than €283,258 for the orphaned children of Miguel Plangca, a Filipino factory worker who died of COVID-19 in Ireland on 13 May 2020. The overwhelming support from more than 8,000 donors from Ireland and other countries helped the Filipino community in Kildare exceed the initial target of €5,000. Aged between 12 and 21, Plangca’s children, Mikee, Michael, John, and Chekie, joined him in Ireland in 2015 after their mother, Gliceria, lost her battle to cancer. Plangca’s recent passing has left the children in the care of their aunt, Fely Moore and to the County Kildare community. Plangca, 55, moved to Ireland as a factory worker in Bird’s Eye Foods more than 20 years ago. Since then, he regularly sent money to…