Innholdsfortegnelse for TGFM Issue 13 - May 2021 i The Global Filipino Magazine

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…

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…

While musicians across the world can’t perform on stage due to the pandemic, some resorted to creating one while being quarantined. One of them is Peter John Paul A. Turen, whose stage name is Rocky Turen. He has turned his art to express his feelings about the pandemic. While everyone stayed home and as the world struggled to fight and put the pandemic to an end, Turen was occupied with his solo project called ‘Indie-pendently’. He recorded music from his home in the Philippines and soon after released his solo album called ‘Pandemia’. LUNAS 19, a striking song in the album, was written in February last year. After releasing the song, he was invited to perform for EuroTV Philippines and had also a chance to perform on a radio station.…

Robie Torre-Gonzales was already in her 30s when she decided to work abroad. According to her, it never crossed her mind that she will be working in the UAE as she had a decent job and a good career pathway in the Philippines then. As she has a house to manage and two growing up kids to take care of, she grabbed the chance to work abroad while her husband was working in Qatar. Even with an OFW in the family, leaving her kids behind was still relatively difficult. “We need to have an income that will allow us to pay the educators and therapists of my eldest for her to play and behavioral therapy sessions; at the same time, we need to fund our second daughter’s overdue surgery,” she…

Joanne Rico’s first break in the marketing industry started when she joined Ministop Philippines as a franchise marketing officer. She accepted the position despite having no formal education in marketing or business. Her grit, passion, and thirst for learning helped her to embark on a journey she couldn’t believe would take her to success. Rico recalled mapping a plan on how the team could grow the business and hit the target. In just three months, they nailed the process, captured the leads, and doubled the number of investor inquiries. Because of her, the firm’s franchise sales increased from an average of one investor per month to five investors per month, shelling out at least P1.5 million each to own a franchise. In less than a year, the highly-spirited Filipina received…

Nerissa Clacio Picones, 46, is among the over 200 students who graduated from Filipino Institute. A nanny for a British-Irish family in Dubai, Picones finished the 24-week professional diploma program Nursing Assistant. “I have taken the course as I needed to enhance my knowledge and seek great opportunities in the field, as well as to help our fellow especially during these trying times,” the Dubai-based Filipino nanny said. Picones, who has been in the UAE for eight years now, said the main reason why she opted to work abroad is to be able to help her family and give them the life that they deserve. Before working in the UAE, the OFW used to work in a dress shop in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a nanny, she is…

A short film led by Filipinos in the UAE is gathering international attention and recognition, particularly in Algeria, India, and Austria. The film 1820 Mga Pabulong na Balingawngaw is screenplayed by Renato Nicdao and directed by Gilbert Belleza. The story revolves around a man named Mathew whose child was waiting for him in the basement. He waited for his child only to be met by his own illusions. After learning what happened to his daughter, he got trapped in his own paranoia–his mood, mental state, and behavior deteriorated to a point he perceives everyone as his enemy. Michael Deo Macaraig, the short film’s lead actor and a Dubai-based eventologist and freelancer, told The Global Filipino Magazine that it hasn’t been shown publicly as it’s being sent to some festivals for…

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’…

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.…

Rhoel Raymundo Mendoza’s purpose abroad is not only to work and provide his family a better future. While excelling as an advertising and graphic design professional in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he used the power of media and entertainment in promoting the welfare and well-being of his fellow overseas Filipino workers in the host country. Coming from a family that instilled in him good values like honesty, living within their means, respect, and familial love, Mendoza is the eldest among four siblings. When he was in second-year college, his father left to work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was through his being a migrant worker that he was able to graduate from the reputed University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts Major in Advertising. He…

Dishwasher turned executive chef Ricardo Bojador said one should not give up in life and always try to go beyond what has been accomplished the day before. Bojador, who hails from Bicol, recalled working as a dishwasher at a five-star hotel in Ermita, Manila while pursuing a career in law and supporting himself. The 42-year-old, today, is now working at a five-star hotel--not anymore as a dishwasher--but as executive chef at a plush world-class, fine-dining restaurant in Dubai. A college dropout, Bojador worked in fast-food restaurants and worked full-time to bring food to the table for his siblings and parents. In 2016, he has decided to move to Dubai to have a better opportunity. “I applied for a job in one of the best Japanese restaurants and received a reply…

When asked about himself, Baz Nazareth said he is a person who loves to dream and foresee the future based on his beliefs and understanding. To live and work overseas were his dreams after watching the 1998 sitcom Sex and the City. With the support is his second parents and the ‘love for I have for someone’, he flew to Dubai in 2016. Amazed with the beautiful things found in the city, Nazareth, on a visit visa, realized life overseas was not as glittery as in the movie. “As a tourist, if you don’t have so much in your hand, then you will end up eating nothing. Searching for jobs was not easy as well,” he said. The main reason why he opted to work abroad was for his mother…

For the past 12 months, Dubai-based flight attendant Chinie Jane Ching has been passionately dedicating her time to saving newborn babies by giving her breastmilk for free. Currently, Ching is on her 350 liters of breastmilk and counting--supporting mothers who are low in supply, mothers who are under medical complications, premature babies, babies who are in isolation facilities, Covid-19 survivor mothers, and babies who lost their mother because of the disease. The Filipina ‘hero’ has been living and working in the UAE now for nearly eight years. Just very recently, Ching was honored to be awarded ‘Excellence in Humanitarian Service Award’ by Prodigy Bureau Global and among the 15 Ordinary Women with Extraordinary Works in the Community Ching, who has also a toddler, has already donated breastmilk to more than…

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…

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…

An overseas Filipina worker (OFW) turned entrepreneur is proud to showcase the Filipino cuisine in Dubai, an international expatriate city and host to Expo 2020. Gina Valbuena decided to exhibit Filipino food after her job as a Business Support Manager to the CEO for Assent Management of a giant hospitality company in the emirate and opened a restaurant called Kubyertos Cuisine at The Pavillion, Discovery Gardens. Looking back at our favorite family meals in my hometown Davao, I remember that side by side to our Sinaing na Tulingan and Pipino Ensalada were my mother’s laughter and smiles,” Valbuena told GMA News Online. “In many ways, I felt this similar joy in Dubai as I became part of the robust Filipino community here. This is the experience our team wanted to…

Noel Eric B. Ang feels like he is very blessed for where he is right now. However, climbing in this stage comes with multiple sacrifices. He said that he had to go through a ‘massive reinvention’ to reach his current status. His thirst for knowledge continued to arm him in his journey through various careers. Currently, Ang is working at Cultivate group as the General Manager of Craft Autocare and Project Director of Cultivate Landscape & Gardening Works LLC. For Craft Autocare, he handles the overall business into the car servicing industry. The auto company aims to differentiate itself from the thousands of garages and quick service repair centres by increasing the car’s maintenance and repair program. “We address their main concerns when they come in whole educating them in…

Filipino Institute’s ID is not only used to enter the training institute’s campus in Dubai, it can only also be used to avail special discounts from nearly 50 establishments in the country upon purchasing goods or services. The ID, which consists of a QR code along with the student’s personal information, is given to current and alumni Filipino Institute students in the emirate. The laminated identification card is being given for free on its campus 604, Al Zarooni Building, Al Rigga, Deira, Dubai (the building is opposite of the ADCB buildingADCB Building, just beside the Avenue Hotel, and in the same building with Al Azaem Iraqui Restaurant). It’s valid for one year. Below are the Filipino Institute’s merchant partners along with ID holders’ perks:…