Illustrado Magazine – Filipino Abroad

Tag: successful filipinos

Chef Andrew Paderes – Illustrado 300 Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf

Gamechanger – Chef Andrew

Executive Chef

Photo by: Jef Anog

Mostly working behind the scenes, Filipino talents in the fiercely competitive culinary sector in the region were largely “invisible” to the mainstream. Chef Andrew Paderes broke through the glass ceiling, stamping not only Filipino representation but also leadership in the field.

Having honed his skills at Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Maze in Qatar and Nobu in London – Chef Andrew has been thriving in Dubai’s cutthroat food scene, carving a path in the industry for many Filipino culinary professionals to follow. The first Filipino to be recognized alongside celebrity chefs from all over the globe at the annual Taste of Dubai – the country’s most renowned culinary event for gourmands, Chef Andrew has also served as Executive Chef at The Gramercy at swanky DIFC, then Claw BBQ Crabshack and Grill, and as Group Executive Chef for hip brand Stars and Bars. He currently works as Executive Chef at Catch 22 – a multi-cuisine foodie hotspot with branches in the UAE and KSA, leading a multicultural team.

Continuing to serve as a role model not only for Filipinos but also for aspirants from other countries, he has helped shape the careers of many: “For me, success is being able to impact those you work with. I was able to train both Filipino and non-Filipino talents from the lowest positions in the kitchen into leading forces in their work environments. Being true and fair with the people I work with has had a positive influence in all the workplaces I have been in.”

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August 23, 2021
Sahron Tamano – Illustrado 300 Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf

Sahron ‘Roy’ Tamano

Community Champion

Photo by: Donell Gumiran

As the main vanguard of MARCOM, the Maranao Community in UAE, Sahron ‘Roy’ Tamano has been passionately promoting unity and mutual cultural understanding, while supporting the welfare of marginalized Filipino Muslims across the emirates, and in the Philippines.

A victim of the tragic 2017 Marawi Siege, Roy has since helped fuel various relief initiatives that bridge the cultural and religious gaps between Filipino Muslims and their fellow countrymen. On his legacy, he shares: “My wish is to be known as one who purveys Filipino idealism by standing for what is right and defending those who are weak and oppressed.”

Spending almost two decades leading the Filipino Muslim community, he has spearheaded initiatives like the Filipino Muslim Basketball Tournament which gathers different tribes to promote unity through sport, as well as cultural activities that preserve Islamic heritage for Filipinos.

On the political front, Roy has also supported the Philippine government’s peace efforts, and has campaigned for the plebiscite for the ratification of the new Bangamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) last January 2019. Furthermore, through MARCOM, he also recently sent 5000 Qurans, donated by Emiratis, back home for distribution in mosques and madrasahs in rural areas, as well as tons of dates as part of their decade-old Ramadan charity project to benefit Marawi Siege victims.

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January 19, 2021
Juliet Solas – Illustrado 300 Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf

Juliet Solas

Community Volunteer

Photo by: Bethoven Filomeno

The Filipino community in Dubai is fortunate to have somebody like Juliet Solas looking after the welfare of some of our most distressed.

An exceptional nurse by profession who was the recipient of a Dubai Excellence Award, Juliet trains newly-hired nurses for NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at Latifa Hospital in Dubai. She says, “As a nurse, I feel I am at the peak of my career; I am able to impart my knowledge and skills to new staff, being their trainer and mentor.”

Juliet’s success and the respect that she has garnered at the workplace, however, is only eclipsed by the volunteer work she has done for the Filipino community through the years. Serving as the coordinator between the authorities and the community, she helps in Filipino cases, especially in the repatriation of Filipino patients. Moreover, as part of her work for the Legion of Mary, she has conducted hospital and prison visits, extending warmth and a listening ear to Filipinos who are in dire need of hope. Together with other community volunteers, she has also actively participated in initiatives to help distressed Filipinos back home, especially in times of calamities.

Juliet fervently hopes for the upliftment of Filipinos who are challenged in life. She says, “I hope that despite all the challenges that we are usually facing, that we remain strong to hold on to our values as Filipino people, to choose the right path. I believe in the goodness of Filipino and the beauty of our country.”

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January 18, 2021
Irene Corpuz – Illustrado 300 Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf

Irene Corpuz

Cyber Security Expert

Photo by: Donell Gumiran

An acknowledged authority in the region in the area of Information Security, specifically Cyber Security, Irene Corpuz has worked for the government’s Western Region Municipality planning and implementing strategies to achieve the organization’s objectives. She has also spoken about Cyber and Information security at conferences in Singapore, Oman and the United Kingdom.

Of late, Irene has been working on a new initiative – Women in Cyber Security in the Middle East (WICSME), which she has co-founded with four other members from the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The group’s objective is to create awareness and promote the increase of women in the sector. At the moment, the group has 400 members and participates in a number of conferences, as well as facilitates the daily sharing of information and trends. Apart from bolstering the representation of women in her industry, Irene is also working to increase Filipino presence within her field and advises kababayans to get certified and take full advantage of available online training.

Taking best practices from her government background, she shares, “Working in government and federal entities show how good governance and leadership can lead to a progressive country.” she says. “I hope that we can replicate this within our country. It’s not a one-man team, but it’s about a visionary leadership that drives the change.”

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July 5, 2020
It’s What I Do: Haven Hamilton A. Villapando and Jeffrey S. Valero

It’s What I Do

Haven Hamilton A. Villapando
Art Teacher-Future Center for Special Needs
Abu Dhabi, UAE

My Job
Working as a teacher is always a challenging experience, no matter how young or old your learners are. Being an art teacher at the Future Centre for Special Needs for 3 years now (FCSN-Abu Dhabi) is very pleasant and rewarding career as it lets you help your learners express their feeling through art. I am also the in-house artist of the school during special events like Gala dinner, exhibits and others. I work with students between 3 and 20 years of age from various nationalities, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. Fifty percent of the students come from UAE and the other half comes from about twenty nationalities.

My Work Day
I usually arrive anytime between 7:20 and 7:30 am at the school campus. After having a cup of coffee, I always go straight to my workshop to prepare the room for the art activities of the day. After an hour of preparing the materials, it’s time for me to facilitate our morning assembly with the students at the gym. That includes roll call, singing of UAE National hymn, warm-up exercise and dancing with action songs and nursery rhymes.

There are days in a week where I go to different classrooms to conduct the art class especially for the learners with walking disabilities, but for those who are more able, they usually come to my workshop with their teachers. I also cater individual painting session for the selected students at the centre for more advance lessons. I am an advocate of recycling/up cycling since high school back in the Philippines – that is why if there is an opportunity, I incorporate recycling in most of my art lessons. I also promote environmental awareness thru my Facebook Page, “Hearty Art Project” and Art exhibits.

With my 8 years of professional experience in both mainstream school and special needs centre in the UAE, I can say that I am truly grateful. I have been faced with a lot of unique frustrations but at the end of it, the rewards of teaching make it all worthwhile. It is my goal in life to have a tangible difference in the lives of others. As a teacher, I can see the fruits of my efforts everyday.

Career Advice
To my beloved and equally-talented kababayans, our Creator above has blessed us with a lot of gifts and skills. It is our duty to share these blessing to others. Filipinos are naturally talented. Let us always be a channel of love, hope and inspiration of our fellow kababayans and the world as a whole. Tayo ay mga Pilipino, angat at naiiba kahit kahit kanino!

Jeffrey S. Valero
Manager, Facilities Management – Al Mazaya Real Estate FZC
Asst. Secretary – Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers, UAE Chapter
Club President – PSME UAE & Associates Toastmasters Club

My Job
Being active not only in my workplace as well as in our community gives me an opportunity to take various responsible roles. I work as a Facilities Manager at Al Mazaya Real Estate which is one of the most promising companies in the real estate industry in the MENA Region. Being a Facilities Manager, I am the overall in charge of the maintenance of the facilities and assets of the Mazaya Portfolio in UAE. I am also responsible for creating and improving policies and procedures within the FM Department for the smooth flow of all operations. Being the Manager also requires the patience and leadership skills to lead a team of FM Executive, Coordinator, Technicians, and various FM Contractors.

Apart from my regular day job, I have also been given a responsibility as an Officer (Asst. Secretary) of the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers – UAE Chapter. Our main objective is to uplift the profession of our fellow Mechanical Engineers in Dubai and Northern Emirates by conducting professional enhancement activities and organizing general membership meetings. We also aim to uplift the communication skills of our mechanical engineers, which pushed the birth of PSME UAE and Associates Toastmasters Club. As President of this club, I collaborate with the Executive Committee in ensuring that all of our organization’s objectives are met in a solid and satisfying way.

My Work Day
I start my work day by checking emails and taking action where needed. Then proper communication with staff follows to secure that all operations are running smoothly. I consider myself as a hands-on manager. I try not to be complacent, as I believe that a leader should guide and develop his people into becoming leaders themselves. Communication is very important in my job and being a Toastmaster helps me immensely in establishing connections with all the people I work with.

I usually end my day spending productive and fruitful time with my wife and two kids. I consider a gift and a stress reliever after a long day at work.

Career Advice
There is a big reason behind why we ended up working here in the UAE. You may call it fate, or you can call it destiny. But good fortune is not enough. We need to harness our skills and work harder. But most importantly, we have to be thankful for all blessings that God give us. I believe that when we share our blessings, we will receive more blessings in return.

August 28, 2016
Pinoy Entrepreneur: Jennifer Ebrada

Jennifer Ebrada
Managing Director
Events Plus Consultancy

My Enterprise
Event Plus is a Dubai-based full-service destination management company. It offers a full spectrum of destination services such as groups and incentives programs, conferences, corporate events, teambuilding events, AV production, weddings, destination PR, sales representation, and corporate outbound group travel.

My Beginnings
I have been in Dubai since 2003. Just like most of our fellow Filipinos, I came here with a hope that I will only stay for couple of years. Then 2 years became 5 years, and next thing I knew I was already on my 10th year mark. Eventually, I decided that I didn’t want to be an employee anymore. In early 2014, I launched Events Plus. I did everything on my own, from the business plan, down to the website. I had very minimal capital. I even worked from home during the first 6 months to save cost. My hospitality experience, determination and dream were all I had to start with.

My Struggles
Being an Asian entrepreneur with a start-up company is definitely not easy. We like to think that ethnicity doesn’t matter, but the reality is that some – if not most – people will assess you and your business at face value. And as a start-up company, the real struggle is to build a solid level of trust with your prospective clients. These are very challenging circumstances indeed, but you just have to plow through them, continue knocking down doors and give your 100%. One day, it will all pay off. This has been my experience as an entrepreneur.

We are now 4 people in the team with a representation office in UK and Germany. I’m also looking at setting up a satellite office in the Philippines, hopefully by next year. Despite the obstacles, I am proud to say that the future is looking bright for our company.

My Life As An Entrepreneur
The most obvious advantage of being an entrepreneur is being your own boss having the freedom to work whenever and wherever you want. You’re working for yourself and nobody else. You may find yourself working 18 hours at any given day, but in the end its all for you. Every day is full of opportunities.

But in as much as it is exciting and joyful, it can also be lonely and scary. The stress levels of making all the decisions can sometimes be overwhelming, and can put a strain on your personal life. Your work schedules can also be wildly erratic. However, the pro’s still outweigh the con’s. It’s all a matter of striving for work-life balance, and setting your priorities straight.

My Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs
An entrepreneur’s life is not for everyone. It requires a lot of perseverance, determination, and most of all, patience. Always strive to give the best service to your customers and try to always say “yes,” even if their requirement seems impossible. It’s a fierce market out there. Your only edge is how well you serve the needs of your clients. If you think you have what it takes, go for it. Go for it now.

August 9, 2016
Keeping Up With the Con Gen: Of Being Consul General and the Real Me

Of Being Consul Generl and the Real Me

By Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes

I reached one of the twin peaks of my diplomatic career a little over eighteen years after I took my oath as a Foreign Service Officer. About 11 of us were blessed with the lucky charm of promotion into Chief of Mission rank, each of us pondering how our new responsibilities would change our worlds. I recall how one of my new batch mates jokingly counseled me to sing less than I often do as it would be deemed unbecoming. As Chief of Mission or Consul General or Ambassador, it is now incumbent to comport myself in a manner befitting the title His Excellency.

What it means to be a dignified diplomat sounds outright nebulous. It is societal sequitur, many opine, that as I was already on “top of the heap,” norms on deportment is now a tad more rigid than it was for young, uninhibited greenhorns. As junior officers, we enjoyed the liberty of spontaneity, though necessarily blanketed with prudence of course, and part of that convenience, in my case, included a lot of singing. Sadly, not anymore so!

Singing had always been my passion. It defines me; it paints me as a unique individual. I’ve always felt happiest when I sing. Until now, it is as if I continually rediscover one of the essences of my soul whenever I serenade an audience. I am passionate about music and performing and I carried all that as I entered the Foreign Service. Though my forays into artistic pursuits and diplomacy were unplanned, their serendipitous marriage could not have been a more perfect fit. It was this unconventional side (coupled with my ever-affable wife) that brought me closer to the Filipino communities I had served, allowing me a more personal approach as I functioned as a foreign service officer.

Advised to scale down on my singing and be a “Congen,” I thought about how much of myself I must divest to be an authentic public servant. As Consul General, I play the role of my ‘kababayans’ last ray of hope, their role model, and their de facto leader. Where does authenticity lie in the context of these roles? What does being true to oneself mean for those of us in the Foreign Service?

I mull over almost two decades in the diplomatic circle and nothing is more crystal clear than affirming that there should be no difference in the manner I shared myself as a junior diplomat to the way I am expected to fit in my new role. I step up my plate, fully convinced that there is possibly no way I can confidently live up to the hype by being less than myself.

Only when I am comfortable being my true self to the community can I be an effective leader. The arsenal of genuine public service is a bottomless well if filled only with truth in character. Anything less than the authenticity of oneself jeopardizes the foundation of a sustainable public trust in someone like the Consul General.

Keeping Up With the Con Gen: Of Being Consul General and the Real Me

………………….

CONSUL GENERAL PAUL RAYMUND CORTES

When not performing his duties as the head of the Filipino community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, or the obligations of a dutiful dad, passionate patriot Paul Raymund Cortes, mulls over how to further enrich the local Filipino community by promoting a more progressive mindset.

June 5, 2016
Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – FE GING GING HYDE – The Indie Film Activist

Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – FE GING GING HYDE – The Indie Film Activist

Fe Ging Ging Hyde Photo by Eros Goze for Illustrado Magazine

Who would have thought that a virtually unknown Dubai-based Overseas Filipino would get the same award that marks the versatility and talents of the likes of Philippine cinema icons like Vilma Santos and Nora Aunor? Not in her wildest dreams, Fe Ging Ging Hyde would admit, and she herself was overwhelmed to bag the Best Actress title at the 34^thGawadUrian, the prestigious award-giving body in the Philippines for films. Well deserving in her portrayal of the title role in the 2010 film “Sheikha”, the talented Fe GingGing Hyde had a passion for film and the arts, something that she would share with whoever would listen, even as a young girl who grew up singing in her neighbourhood carinderia in Davao.

Now a full-blown Indie producer and actress, collaborating with her award-winning fellow Davaoeňodirector ArnerMardoquio, Fe has quite a string of respectable films in her portfolio – Riddles of My Homecoming (2013), The Journey of Stars Into the Dark Night (2012), Crossfire (2011), Sheikha (2010), Hospital Boat (2009), with Sheikha, Journey of the Stars and Hospital Boat winning accolades at the Urian and Cinemalaya awards.

Despite her achievements as a filmmaker, Fe Ging ging Hyde also professes that her greatest role as yet, is that of a full time mother and wife. She also does not shy away from her humble beginnings, using her modest past to inspire others for a greater future, while utilizing her privilege and talent to make films to bring attention to the harsh political realities of her beloved Minadanao.

Read more on Fe Ging Ging Hyde – Illustrado Women of Substance

November 12, 2015
Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – FILIPINO DIGERATI CLUB (FDA)

Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – FILIPINO DIGERATI CLUB (FDA)

Filipino Digerati Club Photo by Eros Goze for Illustrado Magazine

At the Filipino Digerati Club (FDA), an organization filled with people whose expertise or professional involvement comprises of Information Technology, it is all about connecting Filipinos through technologies and skills – and sharing thoughts and minds for personal development. The group has provided personal programs, computer literacy and education classes, high-quality computing and office procedurals to around 17,000 students in the last six years. Team building activities and internal seminars and mentoring were also provided to gain more knowledge. The group encourages cross-functional responsibilities in order to prepare and build a mere volunteer in holding higher positions in the organization in the future. “FDA sets up different branches in different Emirates and trainings are conducted regularly every Friday,” says President Lillian Bautista. “FDA has gone far to, at least, five Emirates as part of reaching out to co-Filipinos from sub-urban places instead of them going to the Dubai branch which might be considered far for them. FDA is the only group with most branches. FDA has also the most number of offered courses, including livelihood programmes.”

Interestingly that has also become its main challenge – putting up different branches. During those times, there were no volunteers living on such Emirate and it took a while before establishing a new set of volunteers from the location until leaving them on their own. “Despite all the troubles or struggles FDA meets, being positive contributes to a better outlook in life,” she says. “All volunteers provide free services, not just to help others but to make themselves happy and fulfilled at the same time. It is always sweet music to the ears whenever a sincere “thank you” from Kababayans is received. It is very rewarding whenever a FDA graduate would inform that he or she was promoted at work, gained a better job or has put up his own business.”

As of now, FDA has more than 15,000 course graduates – some give updates about what’s going on with them; others send messages whether they are still in the UAE or otherwise.

Read about another Filipino organization helping out the community in the UAE

November 12, 2015
Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – KEVIN MURPHY – The Super Performer

Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf – KEVIN MURPHY – The Super Performer

Kevin Murphy Photo by Eros Goze for Illustrado Magazine

Kevin Murphy has carved a name for himself as one of Dubai’s most electrifying performers. He also happens to be one of the very few Filipinos with songs that ranked in the iTunes top 10, with “Fabric,” a collaboration with UAE-based EDM superstars Hollaphonics peaking at no. 4 in 2014. Additionally, Kevin was nominated for an award in the Best Local Act category of an awards show organized by a popular UAE- based entertainment publication – a truly remarkable feat, as he had only been in the country then for a little over a year.

Due to his multi-ethnic background, most people who first meet Kevin do not recognize him as a Filipino. He is always mistaken for an African-American. Instead of finding offense – or riding on – this confusion, Kevin uses it as a way to celebrate his Filipino identity. “It’s always funny when a kabayan approaches me and speaks to me in English because they think that I’m not a Filipino,” he says. “I take this as an opportunity to show to people how proud I am of being a Filipino. I’ve been a performer for a long time, and I’ve travelled to many countries. I say with confidence: angat talaga ang mga Pinoy! [the Filipinos are a cut above the rest]”

Check out other Filipino performers in the UAE

November 12, 2015