Illustrado Magazine – Filipino Abroad

Tag: filipino uae

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf: Mike Fillion – Trailblazer

    Mike Fillion

    Artist

     

    In Dubai’s thriving community of artists, Mike Fillion has distinguished himself as a renaissance man: he seems to be able to do anything, and he is great at everything he does. Music composer, filmmaker, writer, a now a creator of a sci-fi series called “Deciders.” Mike elaborates: Deciders is a multi-tiered project that is meant to begin as a toy franchise – but with a universe attached that opens it up to comics, and even movies. The basic gist is that a colonised Mars of the future develops a justice system where disputes are solved by Mecha battles. Sci-Fi gold. The project is in development and looking for funding.”

    In 2016, Mike played a crucial role in the development du’s Tropa For Life campaign, which was specifically geared towards the Filipinos in the UAE. The campaign was so successful, it won the Gold Award for Branded Entertainment at both the Dubai Lynx and Mid East Effies Awards. Mike recounts: “The brief was simple: win the hearts of Pinoys in the UAE, and that’s exactly what we did through humor and music. What made the campaign particularly memorable was the soundtrack. The idea for it came from the director Richard Ang, who wanted a hip hop track for the “hero walk” in the commercial. The lead actor, Twizted Martines, was practically made to perform that track. Twizted and I wrote the lyrics, and my friend Lucky Schild from The Recipe laid down the beats. We wrote and recorded that song in a burst of inspiration. The whole thing was done in two hours. It was a lot of fun. And the sheer joy of putting this campaign together was evident in the final outcome.”

    Mike may be a rain man, but he is decidedly clear on the legacy he wishes to impart to his fellow kabayans: that of a story teller. “I’ve always believed that great art stems from great storytelling. Whether it’s design or music, film or video games, when there’s a great story at the heart of it, audiences will be helplessly lured in. It’s something I learned from people like Steve Jobs, J.J. Abrams and Hideo Kojima. I’d be delighted if one day, the younger generation can learn it from me.”

     

    Photo by Alex Callueng; Photography Assistant – Bethoven Filomeno Special thanks to – Giordano, Nikon, Liali Jewellery, Lulu, Mitsubishi and Western Union.

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf: Maxxy Santiago – Thoughtleader

    Maxxy Santiago

    Journalist

     

    Maxxy is one of the most – if not THE most – highly awarded media personalities in the Gulf. As Senior Correspondent and Consultant of ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau, Reporter of the Arab Times in Kuwait, and  Program Director and Announcer of Pinoy Arabia FM in Kuwait, she eclipses most other journalists by virtue of sheer media mileage. In 2016, Maxxy was instrumental to the release of the longest serving Filipino inmate in Kuwait, Joseph Urbiztondo who was in jail for 20 years for alleged murder. From her alma mater, Claret High School in Zamboanga City, she received the “Gawad Alab ng Puso” Award – Nag-aalab na Puso sa Pamamahayag, for her work as a journalist in helping expose issues and problems of OFWs and getting the concerned government authorities to act swiftly.

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf: Capt. Frank Desiderio – Trailblazer

    Captain Frank Desiderio

    Pilot

     

    Capt. Frank Desiderio was all over the news when he was named the first ever Filipino to pilot the A380 bus, the biggest commercial aircraft in the world, in 2014. As the aircraft commander, he is responsible for the safety of hundred people on board in the entire duration of the flight. His career did not start well in the beginning like what most would dream of and he had to prove himself before getting the big break in 1994 – the start of his work as a flight instructor.

    “The first A380 commercial flight that I did was the most memorable of all my experiences in life as a Pilot. I have proven not only to myself, but to many young boys and girls who loves aviation that they have a place in this career, and a Filipino can be successful in one of the world’s biggest airline.” He adds that success is imminent, but we have to make those steps forward to reach it.

     

    Photo by: Jim Guiao Punzalan

    Special thanks to – Giordano, Nikon, Liali Jewellery, Lulu, Mitsubishi and Western Union.

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf: Wywy – Tastemakers

    WYWY

    Band

     

    The Middle East teems with talented Filipino musicians, but every once in awhile, an act rises above the crop and proves to be of a different, more transcendent and audacious sort of mettle. Case in point: WYWY. Manned by the real life couple, Mckie & X, WYWY’s music is a compelling mix of electronica, synthpop, and torch singing, reminiscent of the 90’s stylings of Portishead and Bjork. There is nothing typical about it, especially in this day and age – which makes listening to it feel almost like an act of defiance.

    Of their triumphs in 2016, the duo says, “This year has been really good to us, as we were given opportunities to share our passion outside of the UAE. In June, we performed at ‘Fete dela Musique,’ which is quite a big annual music event in the Philippines. We performed in Poland, Singapore & US. Playing for audiences we are not familiar with compels us to expand creatively. Getting a lot of positive feedback from people inspires us to always improve and create our own sound.”

    WYWY has come a long way in pursuit of their sonic identity. Of their learnings, the duo attests: “You cannot impress everyone, so don’t try too hard to change for people to like you. Stay who you are and inspire them. Lesson is, ‘be who you are and don’t be afraid to try new things.’ We try to enjoy every minute of our performances and we keep telling our stories through our songs.”

     

    Photo by Alex Callueng; Photography Assistant – Bethoven Filomeno Special thanks to – Giordano, Nikon, Liali Jewellery, Lulu, Mitsubishi and Western Union.

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf: Roxanne Magbanua – Thoughtleader

    Roxane Magbanua

    Award-winning Media Practitioner

     

    Roxane Magbanua is a multi-award winning media practitioner with almost 15 years of experience in the industry. She is currently the Senior Planning Director for the media agency PhD. Showcasing the Filipino’s strong work ethic in the field of Media and Advertising, Roxane has successfully produced work for some of the most esteemed brands in the sectors of FMCG, technology, airlines, automotives, retail and real estate. Of her illustrious career, Roxane attests: “If I sum up the 15 years of my career so far, I would say that it has been a mixed bag of experiences – lots of achievements and also lots of failures. You don’t get to win all the time. What works for me is my ability to pull myself up again and have the courage to start over and over again until I get it right.”

    Back in 2014, Roxane’s won gold at the GEMAS EFFIE MENA for her contributions in a project for Nokia called “Ana, I’m coming home” – a campaign highlighting the plight of OFW’s in the UAE. Roxane elaborates: “It is one of my proudest moments because I had always wanted to exercise social responsibility on a large scale, for the benefit of the Filipino community.” In 2016, Roxane was one of the only two Filipinas awarded at the Global Women Leadership ceremony that took place in Mumbai, India.

    Of the legacy that she wishes to impart to her kabayans, Roxane says: “I would like to be known as a Filipina who dreamt big and pushed herself beyond her limits to make a difference; that I’m a fair and humane female leader who dedicated her time and energy in leading others towards achievement.”

     

    Photo by Alex Callueng; Photography Assistant – Bethoven Filomeno Special thanks to – Giordano, Nikon, Liali Jewellery, Lulu, Mitsubishi and Western Union.

  • Most Influential Filipino in the Gulf: Madame Yasmin Balajadia Cortes – Trailblazer

    MADAME YASMIN BALAJADIA CORTES

    Grace. Beauty. Dignity. Commitment. These are the words that best epitomize Madame Yasmin B. Cortes, Spouse of the Philippine Consul General in Dubai and Chair of the Filipino Ladies of Dubai and Vice President of the Diplomatic Ladies Group in Dubai. Ever the empowered Filipina, Madame Yasmin has taken on the immense of responsibility of watching over the welfare of the Filipino community in Dubai with the same motherly eyes that she has for her own children. As leader of the Filipino ladies of Dubai, she has been at the forefront of conceptualizing and activating various initiatives that are aimed at uplifting the image of the Filipinos in the Middle East, as well as help communities in need back home.

    This year, Madame Yasmin led the launch of the 1st Filipino Interschool Competition and helmed the Dubai Dubai Musikahan – a songwriting competition that was held in celebration of the Buwan Ng Wika in August. She also played a crucial role in launching the 1st Photography and Film Making Workshop, and the Breast Cancer Awareness Forum, which were both held at the Philippine Consulate in Dubai. Of how she hopes to be recognized and remembered by the kabayans in the UAE, Madame Yasmin says, “I hope that the community remembers me as one who actively promotes the Filipino by coming up with projects and programs that highlight who we are as a people. My focus as Chair of the Filipino Ladies of Dubai is to host activities that build on the already excellent repute of the Filipino. To me, this is both a serious responsibility and a source of great joy.”

    Photo by Alex Callueng; Photography Assistant – Bethoven Filomeno Special thanks to – Giordano, Nikon, Liali Jewellery, Lulu, Mitsubishi and Western Union.

  • Most Influential Filpinos in the Gulf: Twisted Martinez – Tastemaker

    Twisted Martinez

    Hip Hop Artist, Advertising Professional

     

    Vinn Albert, more commonly known as Twisted, is a multi-award winning advertising professional who also happens to be an authority in the Middle East’s emerging Filipino hip hop community.  An artist by heart with a 20-year track record of success in the advertising industry, Twisted uses his creativity, ingenuity, and good ol’ fashioned Pinoy “tiyaga” in nurturing the hip hop movement in the UAE, putting Filipino talents on the spotlight at every possible opportunity.

     

    In 2016, Twisted starred in and penned the jingle for a Du TV commercial, which was shortlisted at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for Music. Together with his contemporaries, he celebrated the 1st year anniversary of Bar4Battle – a Filipino hip hop collective that he helped establish.
    His advice to his fellow kabayans: “Don’t underestimate your capabilities. Never take small things for granted.  And most importantly don’t do drugs!” And of the legacy that he wishes to impart, he says, “I want to be recognized as a family man, an artist, hip hop by heart and soul, and a proud Pinoy. I want to be remembered as a pioneer, a mentor and a legendary MC that helped guide the Filipino hip hop community into have common spot where they could showcase their talents.”

     

    Photo by Alex Callueng; Photography Assistant – Bethoven Filomeno Special thanks to – Giordano, Nikon, Liali Jewellery, Lulu, Mitsubishi and Western Union.

  • It’s What I Do: Denri Jil B. David and Kent Rosales

    It’s What I Do: Denri Jil B. David and Kent Rosales

    It’s What I Do:  Denri Jil B. David and Kent Rosales

     

    Denri

    DENRI JIL B. DAVID

    Chief Designer – H2O Concepts LLC

    Abu Dhabi, UAE

     

    My Job

    I am currently on my 6th year with H2O Concepts, one of the leading furniture dealers in the UAE. I am the Chief Designer of the Abu Dhabi branch. I started my career back in 2010 as one of the junior designers and got promoted in 2013. I oversee the design process between our sales and design team. As designers, we interpret the client’s requirement in providing full office furniture solution from space planning, furniture selection, finishes boards and even 3D visuals in order to aid our sales team in closing orders with clients. We have a wide range of foreign brands from USA, Europe and Asia, this allows me to coordinate with the suppliers technical team in order to get the details of their products and at the same time transferring the information with my Design Team.

    My Typical Working Day

    Just like any other typical expat, I start my office day with a hot cup of coffee. As inquiries are come in from our sales team, I usually get brief details and later on distribute the workload to the design team. I involve myself mostly with complex tenders from which I decide together with the Sales Manager the proper solution we can offer from our product ranges and advice the proper space planning.  A typical project would probably go on for months before we finally close the deal – just imagine all the revisions and clarifications that would go back & forth.

    Message for my fellow expats

    Being away from our home country makes us vulnerable to despair and pessimism, but we should not let our trials pull our self-esteem down. Instead they should motivate us into reaching for our full potential. As the legendary Bruce Lee quoted : “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”

     

    It’s What I Do:  Denri Jil B. David and Kent Rosales

    Kent RosalesKENT ROSALES
    Associate Wealth Manager-Globaleye

    Dubai, UAE

     

    My Job

    I’m an Associate Wealth Manager at Globaleye. Although my main field of expertise is UK Pension transfer and analysis, I also provide comprehensive financial planning solutions to expatriates in the UAE. I do travel on and offshore, depending on investors’ locations and their investment requirements. I also conduct seminars that focus on providing financial literacy to our Filipino expats in the UAE.

    My Typical Working Day

    I am normally out and about, running around the city like a headless chicken. Well, it’s part of my job and my extremely outgoing personality makes me love what I do even more. I’m normally not in the office unless I have no meetings on my diary (which rarely happens).


    Message for my fellow expats

    An expatriate’s life shouldn’t be about ‘living your life for today’ but should rather be about ‘living today for tomorrow!’ We can always enjoy everything that comes along being residents of one of the world’s fastest emerging nation whilst keeping savings and protection planning our top priority! Read articles regarding financial planning. Speak to people who have existing protection and savings provisions in place and learn from them. Seek for professional advise. Share these information to those who lacks knowledge on such matters. Spread the words. Care. Share. Communicate.

     

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  • Artist Spotlight: Jonathan Benitez – Painter

    Artist Spotlight: Jonathan Benitez – Painter

     

    Artist Spotlight:  Jonathan Benitez

     

    My Art

    My art is about portraits of people and figures – oftentimes taken out of context, from ordinary to unknown entities, deconstructed and appropriated and juxtaposed on fragments of collage surfaces. My aim is to connect the relative essence of man and his relationship with other living organisms, their common traits, fragility and impermanence.

    woman 4 collage

    For me, art is not an occupation – it’s an advocacy. It’s a role given to me to help open the eyes of my audience or community about realities that may not be obvious to them; to orient them with the fact that there is more to life than just trying to get what you can get. We all have our roles in the society, and mine just happens to be that of a culture bearer. I live in a place where environmental advocacy is strong; I help reflect this in my art.

    My Process

    I have a strong fascination with figures and how they are affected in a given environment. I am inspired by my hometown’s lush vegetation. My world is populated with plants, wildlife, entities from folklores immersed in contentment while living in harmony with man. I believe man’s behavior is influenced by his surroundings, and in turn, the surroundings are influenced by man’s presence. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

    nothing but everyday poetry collage

    My temperament rests well with water based mediums and paints.  I like to see fast results so I could manipulate my composition whilst my excitement is at a high. Most times, I do not make a study – I just work with a reference, be it an image from the net, from a magazine, or a photo I snapped with my phone. It’s exciting for me to see how ideas manifest themselves through a mix of intuition and accident.

    earth walker mixed media

    My collage is a commentary on commercial advertising, which is a form of art with the purpose of capturing the minds of the viewer by showing a variation of truth. I utilized printed images, the glossy fashion magazines and books and all available sources. Ready-made images are codes, which are very potent in illustrating an idea. Their meaning, however, is the product of corporate manipulation. Our society is bombarded with it commercial mages every day, dictating how we should behave. This is where I engage the conversation with my art – my point of departure.

     

    Artist Spotlight:  Jonathan Benitez

    diwata-collage 

    My Journey, so far…

    I am one of the pioneers of contemporary art in my island of Palawan in the Philippines. I curate and organize art shows and events there, while showing my art regularly in Manila galleries. I represented the Philippines in the Peace and Art Festival in Uba, Brazil in 2014. My artwork was exhibited in Germany and Portugal. My art is featured in the prestigious Manila Art, an annual art fair in the country.

    I hope to expand t the reach of my art as wide as possible – to reach to a larger audience that and represent Filipino art on a global scale.

    Message to aspiring artists

    For those who wish to pursue art: be honest with yourself and follow your own voice. Nothing beats a well-articulated vision fueled by passion and personal experience.

    collage

    Follow Jonathan on his social media platforms!

    https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.s.benitez

    https://www.facebook.com/tibur78

    Photo credit: Katherine Jack

     

    PULL QUOTE:

    For me, art is not an occupation – it’s an advocacy. It’s a role given to me to help open the eyes of my audience or community about realities that may not be obvious to them; to orient them with the fact that there is more to life than just trying to get what you can get.

     

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  • The Annie B Chronicles: Hello Baliwood

    The Annie B Chronicles: Hello Baliwood

    The adventures and misadventures of a ‘not so average’ Pinay trying to make it in the cosmopolitan city of Dubai.

    The Annie B (Batobalani) Chronicles: Hello Baliwood 

    Travel opportunities come only once in a full moon. To be able to see new places, learn new cultures and meet different people – especially cute boys – are the things I’ve always dream on. So when my boss ask me if I can accompany him to our company’s Global Conference in the world-class resort island of Bali. – without battling my eyelash I quickly said Yes! Libre na, may bayad pa! I get to work while being on a holiday trip – it’s like hitting two beards with one’s tone. Dizzizit, Annie B. goes globe-strutting!

    The Annie B (Batobalani) Chronicles: Hello Baliwood

    I felt something was wrong the moment I entered the Business Lounge (Yes! Naka-jackpot!), everybody was wearing shorts and t-shirts and snickers. I was in full-Working Girl outfit – pin-striped suit with matching stockings and four-inch steeletoes outfit – hitsura ni Dianne Keaton sa outfit ko. I notice that, except for this group of Koreans, everybody inside the Business Class Lounge were in casual clothes – hindi naman Safa Park ito ah? These people should learn how to dress up properly. Business class kaya dapat naka-business outfit di ba?

    An hour after we boarded the plane, I began to feel ankshoes. My boss was already in deep’s number and my seatmates looked snobbish. So I sneaked to Economy class and looked for other Pinays to chat with. Lucky for me, Manay Puring, the lady who sells pirated Tagalog VCDs in our neighborhood was in the same flight on her way to her annual vacation to the Philippines. Maricar, my cousin’s gay manicurist all of a suddenly came of the labratory. Chismisan Session na itu! It felt good to be in the company of my kabayans as we exchanged stories and laughed at jokes while killing time abored the airplane.

    At last we arrived in Bali, and went straight to Legian Resort. I was thrilled again because I got to stay in a 5-star hotel. After unpacking my stuff and preparing my boss’ presentation materials, I quickly slipped out and took a tour of the island resort. Well, well, well, what can I say? Bali is a wanderful place – it is clean and the hotels and resorts are all world-class. The locals are very friendly – too friendly in fact. I thought I could buy a pair of Bali shoes – it turns out I had the wrong brand name in mind. But the beach – can I just tell you – the beach is not that fabulous. It’s not even white sand – with lots of rocks and gigantic waves, I wasn’t able to emote and do my Rachel Lobangco Shhboom projection. I was wondering why Bali is so popular in the world because walang sinabi ang beach ng Bali if you compare it to our very own Boracay.

     

    The Annie B (Batobalani) Chronicles: Hello Baliwood

    Sayang, we only had a few days to stay in Bali – and then back to the sandpit again! As I waited for my passport to be stamped at the Dubai Airport, I look back at the things that I saw and people that I met during my trip. I have seen very high-class places and sophistication people, but I’m more happy that I met other kabayans. Can you image if there were no Pinoy OFWs around?   Kahit baduy pa sila or super ingay, or kamukha ni April Boy Regino – we’re all kabayans and we should be happy and proud of our own.  We should all have that great Pinoy spirit.  Kasi whatever anyone will tell you – iba talaga ang Pinoy!

     

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