The Global Filipino Magazine TGFM Issue 13 - May 2021

A 2017 survey revealed that around 19,000 nurses leave the Philippines abroad every year. Angelica Camille P. Ordonez, who is also a registered nurse in the Philippines, said that ‘everyone knows the situation of a nurse’ in the country so she had to jump out of the boiling water to survive. The single mother and the breadwinner of the family embarked on an overseas journey in 2016. She said that being an OFW runs in their blood: they have relatives in the US and most of their family members are either working or living in the Middle East. “They are all now successful and I’m wondering how to become one,” the 30-year-old Abu Dhabi-based laser technician said. Ordonez thought that having her cousins around was already enough. She, however, still…

Kevinson Pineza De Ocampo vividly recalled when he embarked on an overseas journey in 2015 and worked as an assistant waiter in one of the leading luxury brands of the hospitality industry in the UAE. From an assistant waiter, he rose through the ranks and soon became the lead bartender. He said that Dubai is a suitable and promising place for someone like him who is immersed in the hospitality industry. Even before working in Dubai, the Bachelor of Hotel Restaurant Management and Tourism graduate was already honed in the field of the hospitality industry in the Philippines. Ocampo was a customer service representative in the Philippines, handling various hospitality industry accounts. He said it all started with fast-food chains to fine dining to three-star hotels, and then to Forbes’…

Maila Clavecillas Mahadurage proved that great things happen to those who don’t stop believing and learning. Despite working as an area manager in the UAE, handling all the branches of her company in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, she still equipped herself in the medical field, particularly in caregiving. Married to a Srilankan national, the Filipina has completed the course in April, and in spite of the struggles that come with her full-time work, she ranked first. Since the onset of the pandemic last year, and since her company is a school food-based, it was temporarily closed down. Mahadurage was still in her positive spirit even though it happened until the toughest thing hit her. It was when his father, whom he loved so much, rushed to the hospital after…

Reeza Rena Saluta, a Dubai-based overseas Filipino worker, found her prime purpose in life overseas. One of the most selfless things she did was when she had lost her job as a beauty advisor for Dubai Duty Free but chose to help her fellow Filipinos who are also in dire need. One of the most selfless things she did was when she had lost her job as a beauty advisor for Dubai Duty Free but chose to help her fellow Filipinos who are also in dire need. Despite hitting rock bottom and feeling depressed, thinking how she would survive and go on with her dreams, she was still prayerful to God for guidance. Saluta, who grew up fatherless, has been living now in the host country for eight years now…

Fevhie “Vhie” Laurilla vividly recalled arriving in Dubai some 20 years ago. She started her overseas career as a waitress and through her perseverance and dedication, she was able to rise through the ranks in the F&B industry and appointed as the restaurant manager, and handled six restaurant branches. When asked about why she opted to work abroad, she said that she has the same reason as many OFWs--to provide her family a better life, including a good education, enough food on their table, and to support them financially. With her passion for organizing events, she shifted from F&B to the events industry--which became a rewarding passion for Laurilla. Following her passion, today, Laurilla is a freelance event strategist, commentator, and social media influencer under the Dubai Media City license.…

Just like anyone, the main and initial motivation of Albert Dela Cruz Alba why he opted to work abroad was to hopefully earn more. Coming to Dubai in 2004 was his very first stint of working abroad. However, it was not really his first time to work within a multi-cultural environment, as he has already been part of the prestigious club of foreign journalists in the Philippines for many years--the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of the Philippines (FOCAP). Alba’s career as a journalist took off from his background as the editor-in-chief of Ang Tagapagmasid, the official school organ of the University of the Philippines-Manila during his college days. After graduating from college, he embarked on his professional career as a staff reporter for the Manila Bureau of a Japanese TV news…