The Global Filipino Magazine TGFM Issue 24 - April 2022

Kids progress at different rates and have various ways in which they learn best. Others go through normal growth and development, and others have learning problems that make it harder for them to learn than most children the same age. This is where Engr. Li H. Schonberg, a mechatronic Robotics Engineer with a degree in Social Psychology Master of Studies in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), bridges the gap for students with special needs in the UAE. Through her QAT Kid’s Development Centre, an Abu Dhabi-based specialized centre for students on the autism spectrum, they transform hopelessness into hope for parents. They work wholeheartedly with all children to achieve their full potential. According to Engr. Li, in their QAT’s SPED department, they have trained teachers using a variety of…

A seasoned Filipino journalist was among a diverse team of in-house media practitioners who constantly informed the world about the events and developments unfolding every day at the just-concluded Expo 2020 Dubai. “It was an experience of a lifetime, a career milestone, and I’m forever grateful to Expo 2020 for the wonderful opportunity and to a wonderful team at the News Service bureau to which I was the only Filipino member of,” said Jojo Dass, who arrived in the city to become editor of at least three Dubai-based international magazines simultaneously from 2008 to 2015. Sharing his experience, Dass, born and raised in Manila, Philippines, said: “There never was a dull moment. “No two days were the same. From being in a room with royalties and heads of states, interviewing…

It has been almost a month since the world’s greatest show, Expo 2020 Dubai, closed its curtains. Many stories have already been told about its guests, regular visitors, and organizers. Visitors from across the world relished the moments they had experienced during the six-month-long event. Long-time UAE resident Ronald Gelacio has been playing a significant role in the Expo 2020 Dubai’s formation. He has been working as a delivery management system specialist for five years now at the Expo 2020 Dubai. He is one of the in-charge of the online scheduling system utilized by suppliers, participants, and internal Expo 2020 Dubai departments. They also regulate the flow of all vehicles carrying goods and vehicles performing maintenance work at the site. Before being part of the mega event, Ronald’s first job…

Maricel V. Abastillas has recently bid goodbye to his 13 years of expatriate life in Abu Dhabi. She joined the Philippine government’s repatriation efforts to be reunited with her family back home. In the UAE, she has immersed herself in the oil, gas, and energy industries for many years. The many years of working overseas in a diverse and multi-cultural environment helped her fit in quickly when she joined Shell in the Philippines last year as the senior document and data controller. Maricel, a licensed forester by profession, has worked with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Philippines for a decade before pursuing an opportunity overseas. She went to the UAE on a tourist visa in October 2007 and after two exits to Iran, she landed…

Growing up in the Philippines, Mico Banua has always loved staying in the kitchen, helping his grandmother prepare Filipino dishes in a wide variety. This made him passionate about food as this paved the way for his curiosity about different types of delicacies. Mico is described as a very adventurous person even at a younger age. He recalled being fascinated by cookbooks and food magazines. “I guess I am an artist by heart--I used to cut out the photos and create a collage out of it,” he said. However, he took a different path in college and studied a course that was not in line with his passion. He finished Chemical Engineering to pursue what his parents wanted him to be. Before embarking on an overseas journey, most of Mico’s…

Like surfing on the endless ocean, life is all about wave selection and finding balance. When Bimbo ‘Coach Bo’ L. Calitis realized that his income after hustling some jobs in the Philippines was insufficient for his family, he decided to work abroad. He accepted to work as a pizza delivery guy in Saudi Arabia in 2005. Two years after, he ran away from his employer for treating him unfairly, which promoted him to work illegally in Jeddah as a coffee maker for a car distribution company. Undocumented, he then worked as a taxi driver in the same area to make ends meet. One day, Bimbo was caught by the authorities for having incomplete documents. He was put behind bars for almost a month until their provincial governor in Cavite in…