The Global Filipino Magazine TGFM Issue 9 - January 2021

Growing up in a province in the Philippines full of dreams for her family, Nerissa Barrios Cabrea sailed to Dubai to work as a professional therapist with her sports and elderly patients. Described herself as a ‘simple and responsible daughter to her parents and siblings to her brothers and sisters.’ Hailing from Tagkawayan, Quezon, Cabrea’s, at an early age, took the responsibility of sending her youngest siblings to school. Although she was not able to graduate from college, she is still thankful for providing them a good education. While working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, she tried taking an online course, however, due to financial and time constraints, she was unable to finish it. Now that she is working in Dubai, and after supporting his siblings, she continued her…

A registered nurse in the Philippines and here in Dubai, Filipina expat Ashleen Diane L. Almodovar passed and completed the medical coding exams recently with 86 percentage. Thank you to the Filipino Institute for being an instrument to achieve this another goal,” she said. “I was hesitant to take the course for so many years as the cost of it is not cheap at all in other learning centres, and yet one of my friends from my company introduced the Filipino Institute,” she added. Almodovar admitted that she researched the training centre and asked some of her friends about it. “As the saying goes, sometimes if it’s cheap, the quality could be cheap too. However, the Filipino Institute proved me wrong,” she said noting that when she met her instructors…

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW), who studies Medical Coding in the Filipino Institute, has successfully passed the certified professional coding test on the first attempt. Zakira M. Sumndad took the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam recently in an effort to challenge herself. “I am really grateful for becoming an enrollee of the Filipino Institute and taking the medical coding program. I give thanks every day for how they changed my way of pursuing this career,” she said. Sumndad said that during the orientation at the training institute, she realized that the profession is for everyone and for those who have the determination and drive to dig deeper. “At first, I couldn’t understand it, but then I have realized that coding is easy if you push yourself to learn it. It’s…

Popularly known as Carlo Yan, social media influencer and entrepreneur Paolo Carlo D. Gorriceta has founded the community page Filipiknows Network in an effort to provide Filipinos accessible social exchange among them. With a goal to become a global brand, the page he founded has now nearly 300,000 followers. A man with several things under his belt, Gorriceta is also an independent actor, model, writer, journalist, filmmaker, producer, and director. While in the Middle East, he ventured into broadcasting and filmmaking films in UAE, Iran, and Qatar. His first short film was entitled ‘Episode 5’ that was produced in 2009, followed by ‘A Date with Darna’, and ‘Red Rose’. Gorriceta made his breakthrough with the film ‘I Love You Ma’am’ which became the first film to enter the Doha Tribeca…

In his tender years, Dubai-based freelance chef consultant Andrew Faundo Paderes was inspired by his late father in cooking. He recalled that he was ‘a very good architect and a brilliant cook’ at the same time. At a young age, he knew that being a chef was born to be a successful chef. As a Dubai-based chef, his work entails a lot of hard work and ‘heart work. “You can do so many things for you to soar high and succeed. But you do far more things that could put you down, “ he said. Cooking and culinary are his bread and butter. However, the road to success was never easy. It all began with the burning itch about food and cooking that became his passion. “This passion never ceased,…

A true world-class and global Filipina, Mars Yabut De los Santos came to Dubai in 2006 when the emirate was still a diamond in the rough, much like her. She was only 25 when she embarked on an overseas journey. De los Santos wanted to test the waters and thought it was better for her to work on her ambitions in a country like the UAE while she was younger so that if things don’t work out as planned, the Philippines will always be there to welcome her back. With her background in PR and journalism in the Philippines, she was hired by Gulf News, one of the biggest media companies in the Middle East. She started as a proofreader before moving to the digital department to prepare her for…