Innholdsfortegnelse for TGFM Issue 24 - April 2022 i The Global Filipino Magazine

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…

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…

Life can’t beat up those people who won’t give up. Filipino couple and fighters Jayme and Miguel Valle lived a peaceful life together during the pre-pandemic era. They both started working in one of the leading nightclubs and restaurants in the UAE. Jayme was food and drink runner at first before she was promoted to waitress a few months ago. There, she received some recognitions and awards from the company. Hard work really paid off—she was paid well and received a lot of commissions. After being together for five years, Jayme and Migue finally decided to tie the knot in Dubai. It was all harmonious until the pandemic distracted the world from greater threats–both in business and health. Both of their salaries were cut by 50 percent for almost a…

A bu Dhabi-based Filipinos Chuck ‘Chakoy’ Vosotros and Mark Anthony Talavera share the same passion in life: to create content for social media, and the other is to eat and cook food. Chakoy, who initially worked as a receptionist for a five-star hotel in Dubai in 2005, currently works at a renowned private community management company. Meanwhile, Mark, fondly called ‘Chef Mark’, works at a private telecommunications and maintenance company in the capital of the UAE. When Chakoy was still young, he knew that he would be a food connoisseur. He recalled preparing food for his siblings with whatever food he could find in their kitchen or edible he could find inside their fridge. Working overseas, he developed a strong desire to return to those things, and they linger on…

Ayah Lacanaria Fuentes lost her work even before the pandemic took a toll on the world economy with more than AED200,000 in debt from the people she knows. She faced many struggles when she pitched her business plan and asked for their support. None from her circle helped her, especially since she was jobless at that time. Ayah, who arrived in the UAE in 2014 to work in a leading jewelry company, met with other people to realize her dreams. When she was about to start with it, the Covid-19 pandemic happened, leaving her with piles of debt. Apart from having debt, she had to buy her visa as well. “I got so depressed, especially my husband, because we have a loan to pay and so much interest to pay…

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…

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…

Born and raised in Manila, Justine Claire S Alfonso learned to play the piano at age 7. She was also introduced to ballet at a young age, shortly after her sister. Afterward, she ventured into sports, specifically figure skating. Her love for the sport has materialized until she competed in Skate Asia in 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, and won a gold award in her category. It was that time when she decided to focus more on her education, as per her choice and her family’s. In 2018, shortly after graduating, she went to Dubai for a quick vacation. She tried the tandem skydive in the emirate, a form of skydiving that allows people to experience the thrill of freefall while securely harnessed to an experienced instructor. The adrenaline rush of…

At the age of five, Fea Mariz Go, now 15, started a modeling career in Dubai. She was involved in several projects, including conquering the international arena by being an extra actress for the Hollywood film Startrek Beyond. Her appearance on the e-commerce platforms and participation in the hit film has paved the way for greater heights. Not only did it open new doors of opportunities, but it also became the beginning of her new journey at a young age. Her parents brought her to Dubai to be part of a world where one can expand their horizons and look for better opportunities. At first, modeling was just a hobby for her, but she learned to appreciate the field as she grew into the work. “Modeling and being a model…

A two-year-old girl in Abu Dhabi is learning the value of sharing at an early age, thanks to her very thoughtful and generous parents from the Philippines and working in the capital. Sharing is definitely a way of showing love; and at 2, Atarah Kate Dalupan has already learned this during a gift-giving she participated in and spearheaded by her parents during the Eid Al Fitr celebrations in the UAE. In a short vlog shared on her YouTube channel, Atarah was seen preparing hampers to be given to the residents of Al Ghadeer Community in the capital last April 28, 2022. “We always admire the courage and the dedication of Muslims, especially during Ramadan. We admire how they practice self-discipline and sacrifice,” Atarah’s mother, Jill Dalupan, told The Global Filipino…

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…

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…

Born to a family of artists in Davao City in the Philippines, Maria Elsa Eman Bacharpa is an established visual artist and has worked on many commission projects, including interior design in the Philippines. For 13 years now, she has been working as a painter, illustrator, graphic designer, and interior designer in the UAE. From an early age, Elsa was trained to paint with her parents and aunt. Most of her training was refined when her family opened a fabric painting business led by one of her aunts. There, they were contracted by a local fashion designer to produce fabric paintings on a variety of clothes, from casual dresses to elegant formal wear. She traveled to Dubai in 2009 after receiving an offer to work as a multi-functional artist. The…

They say that the best gift in life is a second chance. For Dubai-based OFW Camilo Jordan Dignos, nothing is more rewarding than being given a second chance in life. Unconscious for nine days due to Covid-19, he promised that he would give back to the community by providing grocery packs in the Philippines and hot meals in Dubai. The agony It was December 19, 2021, when the estimation engineer for a facilities management got Covid-19 that he thought was just normal as he was only experiencing mild symptoms. His initial plan was to stay at his friend’s apartment since he was not feeling anything serious. They thought he would remain in a separate room until he recovered and got a negative Covid-19 result. However, he changed his mind, called…