The Global Filipino Magazine TGFM Issue 25 - May 2022

Ruth Diesto Firmalino, a doctor of Filipinos abroad, hails from the City of Smiles, Bacolod City in the Philippines. She is presently a general practitioner at Ibn Nafees Medical Center. She has lived in Abu Dhabi for 16 years and continues protecting and providing service for his fellow kababayans and other nationalities. She moved to the UAE in 2004. When she first came to the Emirates, she worked as a pediatrist. Her goal was to serve her compatriots truly. She chose to take the general medical examination. She worked at Al Ghazali Medical Center for five years before becoming the Medical Director of Emirates Filipino Medical Center from 2010 to 2016. She also worked at other prominent hospitals around the nation, including Ruwais Hospital, Seha Emirates Hospital, and Ibn Nafees…

There are many reasons to live and work in the UAE. From its extremely diverse and lively social life, some expatriates move to the region for its modern accommodation and medical facilities, excellent private schools, and highly developed infrastructures. These are just some factors why Cedric Luigi Gabriel Padrinao Cristobal’s parents moved to the UAE several years ago. Born and raised in the UAE, Cedric finished his studies in the country and found his first job. Currently, the 24-year-old Filipino is working as the Marketing and CRM Executive for Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), primarily identifying relevant prospects in the global database and creating and monitoring contact strategies for all the MEED marketing and sales department, among others. The Philippines, for him, felt like the city of Atlantis since he…

Edcel La Rosa Cabalan, Ani ng Dangal Awardee in the Visual Arts Category, is an architect based in Dubai who has engaged in the art sector for many years. His passion for the arts aided him in pursuing his current career in architecture. Aside from architecture, he has also invested in photography and has been acknowledged by local and international photographic societies. An art enthusiast like him has expanded his interest in watercolour painting, allowing him to go further into the arts and blend traditional craft with modern architecture. He also stands out as the first Filipino to have collaborated on artwork with the award-winning Dubai Art Gallery. The Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts has recognized her in Ani ng Dangal 2022. This award-giving group acknowledges artists…

More than a decade ago, Mary Joy Cariaga Dela Cruz started something new by venturing an overseas journey. As an optimist person, she trusted the magic of new beginnings. New beginnings that brought her hope for something great. A graduate of a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of La Salette in the Philippines, her first job in the UAE was as a sales attendant at a children’s recreational centre. Since it wasn’t related to the course she had taken during college; she moved to another company after a year. Working in the country for a long time now, Mary Joy has eight years of experience as a secretary, three years in the construction industry, and five in the field of real estate. Her experience working in various…

His ambition to succeed in life has a significant influence on his surroundings. Dexter Montero Serilla, DNC Group of Companies’ CEO and Founder, oversees four business segments: recruiting, consulting, advertising, and events. This excellent man landed in Dubai in 2015. His first job interview took place in the World Trade Center, and he was keen to find work. Like all other hopefuls at the time, he had to wait in line for an interview. Dexter’s experiences in making his book of travel in the UAE, like any other employee, began at the bottom and progressed to the top. The ups and downs in his life serve as motivators for him to try new things and trust God to know what is best for him. God, he says, would never crumple…

Starting over is trying more knowledge, strength, and power than you had before--this is the same thing that Alvin E. Nacasi does whenever he makes mistakes. He said that starting over does not equate with starting from scratch. “This time, you’re starting from experience,” he said. When he arrived in the UAE in 2019, he worked as a pastry chef and became a cake artist after a year. His previous work in the confectionery field was backed by four years of experience as a pastry chef in the Philippines. Living with his family in the capital, he said that the place offers a plethora of opportunities for expatriates like him. Changing career path Alvin enrolled in a medical coding course to stretch and broaden the best options in his career…