Innholdsfortegnelse for TGFM Issue 6 - October 2020 i The Global Filipino Magazine

Born to a very poor family, Jonas Dupo, 31, forged his career overseas and put up his own company that benefits students, employees, OFWs, and aspiring authors. Dupo arrived in Oman in 2014 to work as a staff nurse and was assigned to the medical-surgical department looking after patients. Two years after working as a staff nurse, he was promoted as a Regional Nursing Research Focal Point, training nurses, Omanis, and other expatriates to write and publish nursing research papers. In the same institution, he handled almost 30 healthcare institutions and almost 800 staff nurses. He spent exactly five years, 10 months, and 15 days in Oman. Dupo left the Philippines because of love. “I love my family and I want to give the best life for them. I want to help…

People’s luck at gambling is varied: sometimes you win, but most of the time you lose. Architect Anthony Tario Austria is one of the many Filipinos who gambled their careers abroad with no assurance of ‘greener pasture’. Austria, who is currently the managing director of ATA Architects and Design, embarked on a career overseas year 2004 in the Middle East. A graduate o Mapua University, he became a designer in a prestigious architectural firm in Abu Dhabi, with branches in Dubai, Doha, Jeddah, Muscat, Cairo, and Khartoum. “Because of a hard life, I have no choice but to gamble my career abroad. I believe if you’re on a survival, the situation you will find means to reach your goal and work hard for it to attain it,” Austria said. The…

Romelyn Antonio has figured out her passion that led her right into her purpose. A freelance professional hair and make-up artist at Sun and Sand Sports’ e-commerce department and a known groomer for all events in Dubai, Antonio, 41, has been living now in the emirate for five years. The Filipino make-up artist had worked in an oil and gas company for two years as a supervisor. However, due to internal problems, the company has decided to shut down. The untimely event forced her to find another job. The making of a make-up artist As her company closed down, she tried to make ends meet so when one of her friends had a photoshoot, she grabbed the opportunity to become her hair and make-up artist. Because her friend knew her…

Everyone can admit that life is a never-ending fight between you and the uncontrollable force that creates pain. We live with baggage on our backs and we don’t have any options but to carry no matter how heavy it is. Merthyle Sioco Falle, 27, like many ordinary overseas Filipino workers, is living and working in Dubai with a bitter past that made her stronger and a fighter in life. She mastered forgetting the bitterness of the past to make her life bitter. A private therapist, the OFW started working in the emirate in 2018 to ‘restart’. “Kaunting-kaunti na lang, mawawala na ako noon sa aking sarili. Kaya hiniling ko sa Panginoon na bigyan niya ako ng pagkakataon na makapagsimula dahil maraming umaasa sa akin,” she revealed. “Before I work here…

It is no secret that perfumes, of all scents and smell, have been a part of Filipinos’ way of life. And that is why it’s no surprise either that Kabayans in all corners of the United Arab Emirates purchase an order or two of their favorite perfume brands at Coral Perfumes, the fastest-growing perfume manufacturer and retailer in the Middle East. Established in 2012 and driven by an inspiring goal of providing top quality products with high value for money to all sectors of the market, Coral Perfumes has become a major player in the industry as a sough-after perfume manufacturer and a recognized seller of the world’s most popular international brands. To date, Coral Perfumes has 10 showrooms around the Emirates—seven in Dubai and the other three in Sharjah,…

A real entrepreneur is not only a dreamer. A real entrepreneur is also a doer. Maria Josephine Abina is making waves in Oman by spending her career in creating opportunities and building an organization in the business networking and direct marketing profession and helping others to become a successful entrepreneur. Initially, Abina has applied as a lady driver and landed serving one of the highest ministers in the Sultanate of Oman. While working overseas, she founded a fashion house of a well-known direct-selling brand in the Philippines that catered to more than 1,200 direct sellers in the host country and nearby regions in the UAE. An established leader and achiever, she socially connects with global-minded people through one of the largest international community in Muscat. Currently, she is an active…

Art is not just about colorful things. It’s also about how lives are affected by it. For Larry Carumba, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Saudi Arabia, being highly inquisitive, which in his intuition, will guide him to succeed in life. Working in the Kingdom for 29 years now, currently, he works as a corporate secretary for a medical company in the morning and a visual artist at night. “Since my company is dominated by Arabs, I know for a fact that my career will stagnate forever and will never have an opportunity to level up my life and my meager salary will not suffice to fulfill my dreams,” he said adding that he had to hone and use his ‘street smart’ skills to self-upgrade. As a person who never…

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For more than three years, Dexter Dalisay has been working as a Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental Engineer at the Emirates Fire Fighting Equipment Factory. One of the few things that he enjoys the most about his work is that he can deal with numbers since his passion goes out to engineering and mathematics. While progressing in his career, Dalisay, 31, also works as a commercial and print ad model for various top brands in the UAE such as Etisalat, Crocs, Lulu Exchange, TGI Friday, to name a few. It is even a greater accomplishment for him to pat of a number of international films, including Twisted Blue a 2018 Hollywood film; Love Check, a 2016 Bollywood film; On Borrowed Time, an Arabic film produced in 2018; Kaarawan, a Filipino…

“I ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT IF THEY CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU.” This has become Maria Charisma Celino’s mantra after learning that she got the highest average among the Caregiver students in the Filipino Institute-Abu Dhabi campus. The Abu Dhabi-based Filipino worker got a 97.7 grade and was hailed top one in Caregiver 1.2 course. “Dati pangarap ko lang ito, dati wala akon bilib sa sarili ko pag dating sa aral aral na yan. Ngayon daig ko pa ang pumasa sa board exams sa tuwa,” she quipped. “I got the highest average (97.7) among CG students in Filipino Institute-Ab Dhabi UAE, pang international pala ang IQ ko, char!” she added. As she was starting, she thought she couldn’t make it. “Then days, weeks passed by heto na yung akala ko…

A firm believer of the old adage ‘opportunities don’t happen, you create it,’ Philip Almeda Vasquez has been consistently hired by big F&B brands in the Philippines and in the Middle East because of his strong awareness of internal and external customer needs. Presently, Vasquez is the operations manager of Kabayan Korner Restaurants LLC, which is the franchise owner of Teriyaki Boy, Sizzlin’ Steak, Henlin, Dencio’s in UAE, and Max’s Restaurant in Saudi Arabia. Creating great brand landing in the host country for the brands he’s handling is one of the highlights of his F&B career. Their strategic positioning, coupled with correct fundamentals, is vital in ensuring that business dynamics work effectively. “The restaurant ecosystem in the UAE is so diverse and healthy that breaking through will always be a…

Loreli Perez proves that one can succeed in life provided that you are motivated and goal-oriented. An overseas worker in UAE for 11 years, the Filipina shared her journey of becoming the founder and CEO of her business, Lorganics Naturals. Perez arrived in UAE in 2008, a time when employees are being retrenched because of the global recession. Despite the decline in economic activities, she was still able to secure a job. She worked as a technical secretary from a marine construction company with a very small salary package. After realizing that she was not earning enough, she transferred to another company wherein her salary was tripled than her previous one. She moved to another company until she was hired as the HR manager. To bring her kids in the…

Coral Perfumes’ rapid rise as one of UAE’s most trusted and leading perfume manufacturers and retailers is as dramatic as Shibi Thampi’s successful journey from being a sales executive into one of the region’s most influential businessmen. Nearly two decades ago, Shibi wanted to give himself and his family back home in Kerala, India a comfortable life. Seeking greener pastures, he found himself in the vast deserts of United Arab Emirates instead courtesy of a three-month visa, armed with hope and determination that he can make his lofty dreams come true. Upon landing in Dubai, a pressing concern, common for other individuals trying their luck overseas, posed an immediate challenge to Shibi. “When we reached the airport at around 10 in the morning, I have no idea where to go.…

For over a decade, Dinah Balandra Entrena has a proven track in building a high-performing finance and accounting team, in digitalization of finance, and in transforming finance and accounting to become a profit centre and a valuable alley to the CEO in achieving the company’s growth targets. Currently, Entrena, an overseas Filipina worker in UAE, is working at Technip, a global leader in the oil and gas industry as the finance manager. “Building a team, mentoring, and honing the skills of my team and being a contributor to their skills upgrade and career growth and being part of the success in every milestone of the company is the most satisfying thing about my work,” she said. A certified public accountant in the Philippines, she flew to Singapore in 2012 in…

Not so long ago, I wrote an article about Reasons Why Every Filipino Should Invest in Insurance in my personal blog page (www.jessaminesanchez.com). Yet my initiative is succinct, I had not yet given further emphasis about the other benefits of buying insurance policy. There are many insurance companies that offers different types of policies. Life, Private HMO, Critical illness, education, retirement and so on. In one way or another, these companies aimed one thing – Securing your financial and health expense in the future. Along my journey in financial investment, I met noble personalities that help me develop my desire for financial education. I learned so many ways and even learned about valuing my health before my own personal goals. Other than meeting personalities in the stock investment and real…

Engineer Elmer O. Casao always believes that one should strive to be the best version of themselves. Rising through the ranks, the Filipino engineer is now working with the best lawyers in the UAE as legal support for the Dulsco LLC. Casao is the lone Filipino in his team, waving the Philippine national flag a notch in the international arena. His job allows him to provide legal support which includes but not limited to the following: management of legal billing, court orders management, development of document management system, providing support in the request of proposal request, among others. An electrical engineer by profession, almost everyone who is close to him knows he always wanted to become a lawyer, so it is just that he is not working with the brilliant…

Every success story has a tale of, and tailor-fit with constant adaptation, revision, and change, and for Jose Jr. Jaime Araja, success is love for what he is doing and learning to do. Currently, the Dubai-based professional is the head of HR and business administration and operations of Allegiance Real Estate, with developing the business, providing strategic planning, budgeting, among others, as his key roles in the company. Before embarking a journey overseas, Araja, 36, worked as a technical support representative first in a BPO company, enhancing his skill as a tenacious problem solver. As he delved more into his chosen field, he became a workforce and team leader. Despite having a position in the company, he felt disappointed upon learning that his earning potential was capped regardless of the…

Dr. Eileen Guerra Papellero has been working and living in the UAE for nearly 20 years now and one of the things she learned while working overseas is to work with passion and see the beauty in diversity. A visionary leader, her combined expertise and long years of work experience led to building her own empire. Papellero has founded the KAFE Consultancy FZ LLC which sells services ‘with purpose.’ “Working as a front runner whose exposure to the global community with the utmost discipline in displaying good customer service plays an important role in the success of the organization. I was able to showcase grace under pressure to my colleagues and being able to adapt to different personalities and backgrounds,” she said. Through her leadership, she’s able to influence her…

Every nurse is drawn to their career because of a desire to care, serve, and help. Richard Pamesa Comia, a staff nurse based in Dubai, is just one of the Filipino medical workers abroad whose intention is to save lives and promote wellness. Sculpting his overseas career in the host country in 2018, Comia said working as a staff nurse at the Clover Medical Centre has given him the opportunity to connect with people and encourage them to develop health awareness, especially in the dental area. The Filipino nurse also serves as the marketing manager of the clinic, mainly meeting ‘magnificent’ people who are playing major roles in the Filipino community in the UAE. As a full-time registered nurse, his main responsibility is to prepare dental rooms, stock inventory, and…

For some overseas Filipino workers, no other investment yields as great a return as the investment in properties. Maynard Cajayon Portugal, for over a decade, has been working at Filinvest International to help Filipinos abroad to have property investment that gives them passive income while they are working overseas. Portugal, a native Batangueno, went abroad since 1990. His first overseas stint was in Italy where he worked as a banker for 15 years until he became a resident of the south-central European country. Still based in Italy, he transferred from the banking industry to the real estate industry and finally joined Filinvest International as a sales manager in Rome. A year after getting the regional sales manager promotion, he was assigned in Paris, France while handling and traveling to areas…

A message from MR. GABRIEL JOHN RIMANDO Filipino Institute Founder And President "Hats off to the new batch of graduates! It was never easy to graduate considering the current situation but you dare not to give up. If you did, you will never be a step closer to your dreams. I am glad that you were able to make it through. The Filipino Institute is so proud of you! Congratulations!" A message from MRS. CAMILLE JOY FRANCO - RIMANDO Filipino Institute Co-Founder And CEO "What you are reaping today is the result of your sincerity, hard work, and patience. And now, you are moving to a new and exciting chapter in your life. I wish you all the best for the future that lies ahead. Congratulations on your graduation." FILIPINO…