The Global Filipino Magazine TGFM Issue 23 - March 2022

As the world’s greatest show bids goodbye on March 31, 2022, Filipino director and producer for Expo 2020 Dubai Patrick Fronda couldn’t help but be emotional about it. A lone Filipino producer on the broadcast team, he said he is sad that his journey at Expo 2020 Dubai has already end. He produced most of the National Day celebrations of country pavilions at the event, including the viral footage during the Philippine National Day in February, video segments for Rico Blanco, Alex and Toni Gonzaga, Bamboo, among others. He has even interviewed various visiting diplomats. His tasks needed a quick turnaround to produce content distributed to local and international media agencies. “I am really proud I made it to the last day, given that I am the only Filipino in…

A journey isn’t always comfortable. There are instances that it will break your heart. But it changes one. Directly hired from the Philippines, Hazel Basilio initially worked for a Dubai-based call centre agency. Barely having enough money, she was only carrying a small amount of $100 given by her father as he was unsure what life she would live abroad. Her mother gave her three packs of cupcakes so she would have something to eat during the long trip from the Philippines. She had nothing to eat for the next three days but the cupcake her mother asked her to take. She would eat it three times a day so her stomach would be filled. At nights, she would sleep in a shared room, on a double deck bed with…

A Cebuano born and raised in the little Alaska of the Philippines Madridejos, Bantayan Island Cebu, Chad Myko Bayon-on dreamed of becoming an influence of creating an opportunity for growth and personal development through resilience and hard work. As a business financial information advocate, he promotes the importance of financial information for the success of an organization. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis (CSCA), Certified Tax Technician (CTT), and a recognized Tax Specialist at the Royal Institute of Singapore (RIS). He leads the Institute of Management Accountants Abu Dhabi Chapter as the Vice President for Education, also plays an important leadership role for the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants as the Director for Professional Development and Research to…

In 2018, Joane Faye Lozanta Bistayan decided to move to Dubai to seek better work opportunities, believing that the place would help her achieve all her dreams for herself and her family members in the Philippines. She also hoped that it would be a gateway for her to migrate to Canada or Australia. Armed with her Master’s degree in Business Administration she has taken at the University of Perpetual Help System and her college degree she has finished at Southville International School and Colleges, Joane said that getting out of her comfort zone wasn’t easy. Homesickness is her enemy that she fights every day. Her first year abroad was the most difficult phase as she needed to adjust drastically in order for her to cope with the culture. There were…

Many employees change careers for different reasons. Their career goals or values may have changed or they may have discovered new interests, or simply to make more money. For Richard John Miranda, it was different. While finishing his Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) course, he was already working at a famous coffee shop in Manila. He said customer service is something he always wanted to do and meeting new people. When he graduated in 2010, he was working in an American restaurant in Eastwood Libis when his mother, who was working in Dubai, asked if he would be interested in working overseas. Instantly, Richard said yes, promising that he would only work overseas for two years. His intention was to penetrate the hospitality industry when he arrived in Dubai, so…

Of the 30,000 volunteers at the Expo 2020 Dubai, a Filipino based in Dubai has been chosen as a receiver of two major awards given by guests and co-volunteers. Jess Manglicmot clinched a total of two awards: the Golden Hearts Award and the Hero Award. He was nominated and voted for Golden Hearts Award by Expo 2020 Dubai guests. Meanwhile, his co-Expo 2020 Dubai volunteers nominated and voted him as a Hero Award recipient. “Definitely, one of the greatest experiences of my life,” he wrote on Facebook. Jess currently works with a Christian church in the emirate and manages its program for kids. He also trains and leads almost 200 volunteers every week to run the church’s kids’ programs smoothly. “I would like to dedicate these awards to my kababayans!…