Illustrado Magazine – Filipino Abroad

Tag: proud to be pinoy

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – DARWIN GUEVARRA – The Art Hero

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – DARWIN GUEVARRA – The Art Hero

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – DARWIN GUEVARRA – The Art Hero

    DARWIN ‘JAPAT‘ GUEVARRADarwin ‘Japat’ Guevarra Photo by Alex Callueng for Illustrado Magazine

    Darwin Guevarra had tough times in breaking through Dubai’s competitive arts circle. However, his creative mind, talented hands and passion for the arts strengthened him to pursue his great lovebeyond challenges. Now, a recognized artist in the emirates, Japat’s masterpieces has opened a space not only for himself, but where Filipino artists would be accepted, respected and honored.

     

    Despite his notable awards and accolades such as the Sheikha Manal New Signature and Young Artist Grand Prize Award in 2008 and Sony World Photography Portrait Category (shortlisted), his solo exhibition ‘Time of Humanity” in 2009, curated by SheikaLateefaBint al Maktoum, owner and director of Tashkeel Gallery, and his involvement in numerous projects around the City of Gold, including commissions for the Dubai Arts and Culture Authority, Japat’scontribution as the community’s very own “Art Hero” demonstrates that one talentedFilipino, no matter the odds, can earn respectthrough awe-inspiring works and open the doors of opportunity for others.

     

    Remaining modest through it all, Japat admitted that beyond the awards he won and masterpieces he presented, what gave him the most satisfaction was the experience of being a Filipino gaining recognition and respect in a foreign arts scene, able to closely compete with other nationalities. Deciding to move back to join his family in the Philippines this year, the artist shares his simple wish, “That when people would list down Filipino artists in Dubai, I hope to be counted as one.”

     

    Read about another Filipino artist making waves in the UAE

     

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – FLORDELIZA PESIGAN – The New Age Babaylan

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – FLORDELIZA PESIGAN – The New Age Babaylan

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – FLORDELIZA PESIGAN – The New Age Babaylan

    FLORDELIZA PESIGANFlordeliza Pesigan Photo by Eros Goze for Illustrado Magazine

    “I breathe art” is a philosophy that fuels Flordeliza Pesigan, the passionate multidisciplinary Filipina artist, who grew up in the Philippines’ National Museum, whose works have been exhibited in events and prestigious spaces around the emirates too many to mention, and who could not think of doing anything else other than painting, sculpting and dancing.  She is indeed a great example of one who has successfully turned her back at the corporate world to follow her bliss.

     

    Going beyond her canvas, the artist shares that lately, she has also felt a calling to share her art, dance and music in a much deeper way leading her to her new venture called ‘Creative Alchemy’.  She explains, “Alchemy means a power or process of transforming something common into something special. So, apart from creating art, I now also give workshops and retreats for therapeutic arts, dance meditations, voice activations and sound healing. This time, I feel passionate about inspiring people, especially the ones in the big cities to re-connect with themselves and the earth… to access their authenticity, truth, joy and self-healing capacities by unleashing and activating their creative energy.”

     

    Splitting her time between Dubai, Bali and India living the life of a virtual nomadic shaman of sorts, she furthers, “When you realize that you touch other people’s lives by doing what you do, there is no other way but to keep moving forward. It hasn’t been an easy road getting here and it still isn’t, butI found myself having no choice but to listen to what the universe has guided me to – and it is reminding me about who I really am and what I am born to do. So I’ll just let my present selfkeep walking this path, and let my future self surprise me.”

     

    She adds, “Our soul and the universe already know what needs to transpire. Just learn how to listen to the voice within, let go of things that don’t serve you. Dance with life and surrender to the ‘divine flow’.”

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – TINI MEYER – Artist & Humanitarian

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – TINI MEYER – Artist & Humanitarian

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – TINI MEYER – Artist & Humanitarian

    TINI MEYERTini Meyer Photo by Eros Goze for Illustrado Magazine

    Artist Tini Meyer who specializes in contemporary abstracts, has exhibited and received accolades for her works on canvas and public art not only in the UAE, but also in Canada, Spain, the UK and even China.  This citizen of the world who is of German, Filipino and Spanish heritage, was originally based in Vancouver and Madrid, but currently splits her time between Abu Dhabi and Manila.

     

    In the emirates, Tini’s paintings, sculptures and installationshave been exhibited at The Green Art Show, Al Bateen Heritage Center, under the patronage of HE Sheikh Nahayan Al Nahayan; Women in Art, Biennale Exhibition at the Sharjah Art Museum, under the patronage of Her Highness SheikhaJawaher Al Qasimi; Philippine National Day at the Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi under the patronage of the Embassy of the Philippines to the UAE.

     

    The artist, who is also a passionate humanitarian says her ultimate satisfaction comes from inspiring other people, and so she uses her creative talent in producing remarkable art that gives back to the community. Getting constant inspiration from the love, laughter, travel, happiness and success, great friends and books, Tini Meyer admits that for her, creating art is the most profound expression. She says, “I simply couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I love what I do.”

     

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – ARCHITECT MEDARDO CADIZ – Architect Par Excellence

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – ARCHITECT MEDARDO CADIZ – Architect Par Excellence

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – ARCHITECT MEDARDO CADIZ – Architect Par Excellence

    Arch. Medardo Cadiz

     

    A lover of architecture since childhood, Medardo Cadiz is the founder and CEO of Cadiz International Architects – an award-winning design firm with over 100 employees stationed in headquarters in Dubai, Seattle, and Manila, and a running portfolio of projects and master community developments spread across 16 countries including the Bur Juman Centre, award winning Al Hamra Mall, Manar Mall and Old Town District in Ras Al Khaimah, Lakeside Residence in Jumeirah Lakes, among others.

     

    Of the firm’s success, Medardo exclaims, “With imagination, purpose and courage, we connect well with people we serve and work with, especially the clients and the end-users of the places we create. It brings us great pride and joy to see our creations well-used, visited and successful. To that end, the best rewards come from the community acknowledging our work. But best of all, we most feel fulfilled and rewarded when we are able to establish a long-term relationship with our clients, enabling us to create many more projects with them as business partners rather than just a one-time vendor architect.”

     

    Through competing with other international design firms, Medardo has learned that that clients appreciate and respect good work based on one’s ability, and not nationality. He takes great pride in Cadiz International’s pool of talents, who continue to impress and nurture the loyalty of clients with their outstanding design and service. Medardo adds, “By virtue of representing the creative nature of Filipinos through our company, we feel proud that in our own small way, we help uplift the reputation of the Filipino professionals in the UAE.”

     

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – JOVETT LOPEZ – The Toast of the Community

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – JOVETT LOPEZ – The Toast of the Community

    Jovett Lopez

     

    Jovett Lopez is the Division-A Governor of the Riyadh operations of Toastmasters International – a global pioneer in communication and leadership development with over 332,000 members worldwide. She is seen as an energetic and effective leader, with a focus on education and youth empowerment. In October of 2015, Jovett collaborated with fellow Filipino Toastmasters in Riyadh to conduct a one-day workshop for high school students from four Filipino international schools in Riyadh. The event was deemed a great success, with a turnout of attendees that surpassed expectations.

     

    “I have always thought that learning was just about knowing things but I have realized that it’s really all about how you practice what you have learned and use it to improve the world,” Jovett exclaims. In her work in the organization, she has learned that patience is a virtue and that relationships with people do matter – it takes effort and hard endeavour to maintain that camaraderie, harmony and team work. “These all boil down to having a positive and flexible mind, caring heart, and sincere character,” she says. “I learned to respect, to have integrity, to serve relentlessly and to strive for excellence.”

     

    Jovett also served in the Board of Directors of the Computer Society of Filipinos from 2006 to 2008. She aims for a post-graduate course in the near future, all the better to help her serve and impart greater knowledge to the communities that she is active in.

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – CRIS MIRANDA – The Family Man

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – CRIS MIRANDA – The Family Man

    Chris Miranda

     

    In matters that concern the strengthening of family ties, OFW’s in KSA turn to the Foundation for Family Life, an organization whose presence in the country is led by Cris Miranda. Cris is a confidant, friend, and father-figure to OFW’s seeking advise on spirituality, fellowship, and how to improve family relations. As FFL’s Country Representative, Cris often receives distress calls even in the wee hours of the night, but his attitude towards his responsibility is always one of gratitude and service. He says that at this chapter of his life, there is no room for selfishness. “Your love has to be unconditional to be able to understand the needs of others,” he says. “Remain a humble and faithful servant to your family, company, and organization, no matter what you have attained in life.”

     

    Started in 1998, the Foundation for Family Life aims to reach out to different families worldwide who are going through relationship difficulties. The organization also has an excellent track record in providing assistance to impoverished communities. Juggling his responsibilities as FFL representative and as Internal Auditor for the National Shipping Company Of Saudi Arabia is often a monumental task for Cris, as he is often besieged with hectic schedules, but he says that the rewards are “awesome and eternal,” and that in return for his servitude, God has compensated him with a strong family. Cris elaborates, “I love having a strong family, and my two missions in the world are to share God’s love and help boost family life through faith, hope, and love. I have but only one vice, and that is to spend all available time and resources to God and my family.”

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – ATENEO LSE SCHOOL – The Entrepreneur Makers

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – ATENEO LSE SCHOOL

    Ateneo LSEAteneo LSE School Photo by Eros Goze for Illustrado Magazine

     

    Those who want to start their own business or find out how to lead and manage their own families and organizations can step up to the plate through the Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program, more popular known as the LSE Program, a project of the Philippine Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General, POLO and OWWA. A 12- session certificate course involving three modules – Leadership, Financial Literacy and Social Entrepreneurship – the program trains an individual to become a leader in his own private circle and helps him with social entrepreneurship and financial management. “As a student at the Ateneo, part of my formation was to serve – to be a person for others,” says Jasper Adviento. “When I heard about the opportunity to help organize the Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship program, I recalled the days when I was involved in many socially-oriented organizations. It brought back memories of how I was a joyful student in serving other people. Thus, I saw LSE as a venue for me to continue the service I started in college.”

     

    The growth of LSE is very organic.  It started with a small group of friends coming together in behalf of the Ateneo School of Government – Jasper Adviento, Ella Cordero, Milen Aviles, Armand Fernandez and Eloi Francisco.  There weren’t any written rules or formal titles or reporting lines, but it worked very well because the group was very cohesive.  Year after year, the number of volunteers increased as well as the number of Filipinos interested in applying to the program.  “The stories of students’ transformation, how they overcame obstacles is just inspiring,” says Ella Cordero. “The teachers, like Vince and Edwin, are just a laugh trip and they make the topic of financial literacy easy to comprehend.  The volunteers themselves are very accomplished leaders in their respective fields and to see them sacrifice their time for others is just humbling.”

     

    In the past three years, LSE Dubai has had more than a hundred graduates. A number of business plans of LSE Batch 26 have also been incorporated in the UAE, such as Tarakabayan, an online portal for OFWs to rent or exchange property in the Philippines.

     

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – AMBASSADOR WILFREDO SANTOS

    AMBASSADOR WILFREDO SANTOS

    Embassy of the Philippines – Qatar

    AMBASSADOR WILFREDO SANTOS

     

    As the new Philippine Ambassador to the State of Qatar, the objectives of Ambassador Wilfredo Santos are threefold: to strengthen bilateral relations with the host country; to promote economic diplomacy through the enhancement of the image of the Philippines as a leading tourist, business and trade destination in Asia and in the world, and to improve the efficiency in the delivery of the consular services to the public, including the handling of assistance to nationals cases. “Right now, the challenge for me is to bring this large group together under the One-Country Team approach and to be on the same page with what I intend to accomplish during my tour of duty in Qatar,” he says. “So far, I am pleased with their performance and dedication to their work. However, I intend to conduct additional training seminars as well as team-building activities for their continued professional growth.”

     

    During his tenure, he has implemented some reforms in the Embassy that have turned out to be operational gamechangers- rotating the personnel to man our service counters from 12 noon to 1pm and thus allowing them to provide “continuous” services to the public, ordering the placement of truncheons and sign posts indicating the different kind of consular services provided for the guidance of the public, instructing his staff to convert one office room into a receiving room which they named Sentro Rizal, organizing the establishment of Kulinarya Qatar which is a movement composed of Filipino restaurant owners, key community leaders, and Embassy representatives, and reaching the target of 16,000 new registrants for the May 2016 national elections. “While I may be ‘hands on’ when I need to get things done quickly, I also delegate my tasks to allow my personnel, particularly my officers and senior staff, to decide on their own and thus become good leaders themselves,” he says.

     

    His future plans include the strengthening of bilateral relations through the signing of agreements that would enhance the ties, increasing exchanges and high level visits between the two countries in various areas, and bringing more trade and investment to the Philippines.

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – NORMAN CUNANAN – The Multi-tasking Lensman

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – NORMAN CUNANAN – The Multi-tasking Lensman

    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – NORMAN CUNANAN – The Multi-tasking Lensman Nhorms Cunanan   Norman Cunanan, also known as “Nhorms,” is a photographer, an indie actor, and a community leader. As President and Founder of the Riyadh Creative Artists, Norman is at the head of a vibrant creative movement in Riyadh, rostered by some of the country’s most esteemed Filipino photographers, stylists, make up artists, and models. “As President of the RCA, I am able to help our fellow kababayans in Riyadh and the Philippines by spearheading photo shoots and events for various charitable causes,” he says. “Through these initiatives, talented Filipinos here in Riyadh are able to showcase their talents in high fashion photography, modelling, make up, and design, while helping our kababayans in need back home.”   An accomplished and admired photographer, Norman was also the President of the Shutters Guild from 2010 to 2012. He has attended high profile photography workshops in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and in turn imparts what he has learned to his peers and contemporaries and uses his knowledge and skills in service of others. He has done several fundraising and awareness-building photo projects which benefitted worthy causes such as the victims of an earthquake in Bohol, an OFW rape victim in Riyadh, and an OFW amputee.   “It feels so good to be able to help the community in my own simple ways,” he says. “It is also a way for us in the RCA to celebrate and bond with each other and with other groups like a real family. This helps a lot in alleviating homesickness and work-related stress.”   Norman’s character is marked with a strong sense of responsibility to his community. To him, being a blessing to others is the greatest honor, so he ensures that everything he does serves to inspire, empower, and motivate others.

  • Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf: POLO Dubai

     

    POLO Dubai
    Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf: POLO Dubai

     

    One of the 36 overseas operating units of the Department of Labor And Employment, POLO Dubai functions as an employment facilitation and welfare protection. “We evaluate and verify employment documents to protect job seekers from unscrupulous recruiters and bad employers,” says Labor Attache Delmer Cruz, Head of POLO. “Once on-site, workers are extended direct services like welfare and repatriation assistance, OEC and OWWA membership issuance, among others. Then we help the OFWs prepare for their eventual return and reintegration to the Philippines through the various skills and livelihood training activities that we conduct.”

     

    POLO Dubai banks on service improvement, expanding and enhancing their training programs. ​The organization started the on-site awarding of livelihood starter kits for distressed workers and piloted the on-site skills assessment and certification program and soon will be the first TESDA-accredited assessment center abroad. POLO was also among the first that implemented the BM online ​appointment system that eliminated the long queues of OEC applicants. Because of all of these programs in December 2014, POLO Dubai was cited by the Secretary of Labor as the best POLO. “It is the thought of helping people – assisting distressed workers, helping employers with their manpower requirements, empowering ordinary OFWs through upskilling, financial literacy, livelihood and other capacity-building programs, and developing friendships in the community.,” says Cruz. “The experience is indeed challenging but if you love your job, it is fulfilling at the same time.”

     

    POLO continues to build on the positive initiatives of present and past leaderships, serving the people back home and empowering the least of them.