Innholdsfortegnelse for TGFM Issue 19 - November 2021 i The Global Filipino Magazine

A man of inspiration and luminary, Ramzy Hesham Villegas, a 22-year-old 4th-year college graphic design student of the University of Sharjah, is a person of courage and intelligence. Currently, he holds the title of the Man of the Philippines-United Arab Emirates (MOPUAE) 2021. Aside from being a good son, intelligent student, and pageant king, Ramzy is also an advocate of mental health awareness, ambassador, host, and athlete. Indeed, at a young age, he is already an achiever. Ramzy loves to inspire people through his voice. The experiences and journeys that he encountered are the roots of his motivation in helping people to build their confidence and trust in themselves. The king of dreams As a man full of great aspirations, Ramzy tried his journey through pageant where he also discovered…

Enjoying life to the fullest is the philosophy of Wilson De Jesus. This 34-year-old director in an SPV subsidiary based in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) created his fate to become a successful expat in the UAE. His experiences and challenges abroad brought him to fulfillment and victory. Aside from being a professional in a high-ranking position, Wilson is also financially literate and a visionary. Working overseas for Wilson is a huge blessing. Aside from being well compensated, he enjoys his profession because he feels appreciated, valued, and recognized. These feelings allow him to work beyond his limit and make him inspired and productive. Working overseas Wilson moved to Dubai in 2011 and looked forward to practicing his profession as an accountant. Unfortunately, it has never been easy for him…

Confidence is always the key for Ahmed Yousif El Sharif, a professional dental surgeon, entrepreneur, and pageant king. Ahmed was raised in a multicultural environment. Aside from being of Filipino-Arab descent, he is also an American citizen currently with his mother in Dubai for a business. This man loves to create dreams and aspire for greater heights for his future and family. Ahmed’s dream of becoming a medical practitioner concurred with his goals and morals, which became a leeway to uplift his confidence to reach his aspiration. Aside from his unstoppable dreams, his passion for joining pageants also drives him to become a mature and goal-oriented individual. Becoming an influencer creates a road for him to build connections and be friendly. Future-driven doctor-entrepreneur Dreaming of becoming a medical practitioner for…

The World Expo in Dubai has been touted as the largest attraction ever held in the Arab world. It aims to help heal the planet, let people’s voices be heard, create new ideas, inspire new perspectives, and plan the path forward for urgent action. All of these have been captured through the lens of the renowned Dubai-based Filipino photographer Jruzz Merca whose Instagram @jruzz is followed by nearly 13,000 followers. His photos at Expo 2020 Dubai have been reuploaded on several pages, including the official social media accounts of Expo 2020 Dubai. “First of all, I fell in love with the place and the amazing architecture of the pavilions’ light displays. And second, I see Expo 2020 Dubai as a photographers’ playground, you can experiment with a lot of different…

A Filipino expat based in Abu Dhabi is hailed as one of the Most Influential Filipina Women in the World by the Foundation for Filipina Women’s Network. Joanne Rico, a marketing professional working and living in the UAE for over 9 years, was invited by the foundation to receive the global award in San Francisco, California, USA during the 17th Filipina Leadership Global Summit in September 2021. For this year, Rico is the only awardee from the Middle East. The Foundation for Filipina Women’s Network recognizes women of Philippine ancestry who are changing the face of leadership in the global workplace, having reached status for outstanding work in their respective fields and are acknowledged for their contributions to society, femtorship and legacy. Rico was selected from an outstanding field of…

For Elby Trinidad-Mangoma, a UAE-based Filipina, being resilient during the pandemic is one of the critical skills that one should possess. An environmentalist, sanitary and civil engineer by profession, she arrived in the UAE seven years ago using a tourist visa. Just like many Filipinos who ventured abroad, she wanted to prosper personally and professionally. UAE may be touted as a land of opportunity, Mangoma had a hard time finding a job that aligns with her profession. “I decided to be flexible,” she said. She was then offered a secretarial job in a real estate firm. The job description, she said, was ‘totally different’ from her profession as she performs several duties including accounting, document controlling, doing administrative work and as a personal assistant to the CEO. “I was in…

In the age of internet calls with cameraless Nokia, Ericsson handsets before wi-fi, Viber, Messenger, and WhatsApp, JTB and Easi telephone cards made three-minute home calls cheaper at night Brunei’s Post Of-fice landline. On August 31, 1990, Antonio Alabastro, a 72-year-old famed journalist, arrived in oil-rich Negara Brunei Darussalam. They transformed the weekly community paper into the country’s leading English-language daily newspaper as the first Filipino journalists in Borneo Bulletin. His reporter’s monthly compensation of PHP5,000 was insufficient to feed and educate his growing family of three girls and a boy. Another son, born a year after he began working overseas, was born in 1991. The Life of a Journalist He began his journalism career in 1969 as an apprentice with the Daily Mirror, the pre-martial-law Manila Times’ leading afternoon…

UAE-based Filipina achiever Sharina Bertiz Manaog is considered one of the most successful Filipino young professionals in the UAE. This 24-year-old woman of action is currently creating a big name in the world of academe and branding. Sharina is the current corporate affairs executive and a digital marketing university lecturer at Bath Spa University United Kingdom (Academic Centre RAK Campus). Her intelligence and wit made her remarkable to many Filipinos in UAE. Aside from being a teacher and a marketing professional, she is also passionate about different extra-curricular activities. She is one of the presenters of Emirates Loves Philippines and a co-composer of the Expo 2020 Dubai Philippine Pavilion theme song. Growing up in UAE Sharina’s journey in the UAE started when she was six-year-old with her mother already in…

When Laila Enriquez Lising was a child, she was raised to be an independent person. When she met a severe motorbike accident in 2008, she was bed-ridden--unable to move forward in life. A year after recuperating from the accident that scarred her life, Laila applied as a management trainee in a supermarket that opened her door to apply in SM Supermall as a customer service supervisor. These experiences, according to her, made her realize that she can be better and that everything has a purpose. Some of the positions she filled in the Philippines were service crew, cashier, sales associate, and a pump attendant at a gasoline station. After gaining work experience in the Philippines, she believed she was already equipped to up her game. In 2011, she tried her…

A nurse at the Latifah Hospital in Dubai for more than 11 years, Filipina worker Marites Rufo has recently won P100,000 or about AED7,200 after being named as one of the recipients of Angel Awards. The award is given to medical professionals to celebrate them and their insatiable need to care for others. Currently assigned as a unit in charge, Rufo is a single mother with two sons. “As a nurse, I found a fulfilling and rewarding career,” she told The Global Filipino Magazine. Presently, she looks after and takes care of less fortunate and abandoned children. She said she takes care of them not only as a nurse but also as a mother as if they were her family members. “At the end of the day, I know I…

Being a catalyst of dreams and inspiration is Adrian Paul Menor’s philosophy, a professional digital marketer and a loving son. This young man loves to soar high and try different things, which allowed him to become an advocate and a successful young professional. Adrian is a communications graduate in Far Eastern University-Manila, Philippines, and a previous director of integrated marketing of International Youth United. His passion for media creates a leeway for him to become an advocate of community development. As part of International Youth United, an organization that focuses on enforcing human rights, Adrian used this opportunity to work and develop his passion. “I am passionate in my current work and field because I get to do what I love to do, which are filming, editing, and writing. At…

It has been a long and arduous journey for accomplished musician Marcus Ch Dela Peña. One that began in Sixth Grade when he envisioned his first melody to the struggles he faced in his hometown of Manila, Philippines, producing music for the songs he had written. But his persistence paid off. With the release of several self-produced albums, the singer-songwriter, producer is now the successful founder of musivv.com, a platform for independent artists and music creatives. Through this innovative platform, Marcus created an initiative called JumpSTARt, with the aim of producing singles for emerging, talented musicians who do not have the means to record their own songs and get noticed. The initiative quickly garnered praise from local music industry experts for its goal of finding what Marcus calls “diamonds in…

It has been almost three months since EXPO 2020 began to open the pavilions to the public. Millions of tourists and residents have already visited the said event. But, seeing the Expo for some people might not be enough. People tend to challenge themselves to stay all hundreds of pavilions in the shortest time. Among thousands of challengers was Nikka Bonilla, a Filipina who avail a month-long pass and Expo passport. She visited over 192 pavilions in eight days. “Nag punta po ako starting x 7,2021 ng gabi. Together with my friends, we spent 2 whole days and 6 half days po para matapos lahat ng pavilions (192 countries). Yung ibang pavilions po walang available na stamps pa nung mga unang punta ko. Nagsimula kami sa Opportunity pavilions, then after…

The Society of Human Resource Professionals and Associates (SHRPA has recently staged one of the most prestigious searches for exemplary HR professionals in UAE at its 4th Exemplary Filipino HR Professionals Award (EFHRPA) ceremonies in conjunction with its 5th year anniversary held at Al Otaiba Building, Abu Dhabi with the theme “Moving Forward. Human Capital Amidst the Pandemic”. This year’s recognition focused on HR Professionals who are working in medical or health services. Eight (8) of SHRPA’S members were chosen to receive this year’s EFHRPA who have shared their achievements, contribution in their respective companies and inspirations to the participants. Considered as “unsung heroes” during the pandemic, these Filipinos did not only devote their time and efforts in their HR and Admin roles but were also drivers and/or supporters of…