The Filipino Times, the organizer of The Filipino Times Awards, is all set for the most prestigious award-giving body for Filipinos in the UAE and the Middle East. The much-anticipated announcement of winners for its Individual and Brand categories is set to take place this November 29 at Sofitel The Palm in Dubai.
Following weeks of careful planning, detail-oriented preparations, and continuous engagement with all key stakeholders, the award-giving body is now set to host individual finalists, brand representatives and guests from government and private institutions as the award-giving body reaches its milestone of five straight years on celebrating the achievements Filipino individuals and recognizing the successful engagement of brands among Filipino audiences.
Filipino-preferred brands to take center stage
Brand voting has officially closed last October 25, with around 76,000+ voters from the Filipino community in the UAE – the biggest voting that the award-giving body has recorded to date as number of voters continuously grow year on year as they become more conscientious about brands that they relate to the most.
A total of 269 brands have vied to be in the running for this year’s The Filipino Times Brand Category Awards, comprising a list of brands that have made it to the list for the first time, as well as brands who are aiming for a multi-peat consecutive win should they be chosen by the masses once again.
“Voting lines have been open non-stop since September with thousands of Filipinos submitting their votes each day. We have seen several of these brands launch their campaigns to urge the public to vote them as the ‘Filipino-preferred’ brand for their category and for good reason as majority of the brands who have won in the previous years have noted an increase in engagement with the Filipino community following their win,” said Vince Ang, General Manager at The Filipino Times.
Jury holds final deliberations
The entire jury of The Filipino Times Awards convened last October 18 to personally meet with each of the finalists.
Comprised of industry experts within their respective fields, The Filipino Times Awards jury was split into four categories: Creatives, Media & Marketing, Structure & Design, and Businesses & Services, which was chaired and presided by Vince Ang across all categories:
Michael Cinco and Roxane Negrillo for the Creatives jury;
Elena Cruz, Jorhie Alban, Joseph Alcantara, Salah Al Tamimi, Roxane Negrillo for the Media & Marketing Jury;
Mary Jane Alvero, Irene Corpuz, Salah Al Tamimi for the Structure & Design Jury and;
Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes, Mary Jane Alvero, and Dan Lester Dabon for the Business & Services Jury.
For the first time in the history of The Filipino Times Awards, each finalist faced the panel of judges in an intensive 10-minute oral presentation to prove that they deserve to be hailed among the winners of the 2019 The Filipino Times Individual Awards.
“The Filipino Times Awards brings it up a notch further this year as we have introduced oral presentations as part of the scores for each individual category. This way, the jury will get to learn more about each finalist and how each of their stories have made an impact not just within their personal circles, but more importantly, for their fellow Filipinos whose lives they have inspired through their profession,” shares Ang.
This year marks many previously undiscovered Filipino individuals who have been making it big in their journey as OFWs here in the UAE. Several of these individuals who came forward to present their credentials and achievements made it to the final cut as well.
For fairness and amplified credibility
P&A Grant Thornton is the official audit partner of The Filipino Times Awards 2019. P&A Grand Thornton, which is short for Punongbayan & Araullo, is an award-winning auditing firm in the Philippines and the official Philippine member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd. This year’s edition of The Filipino Times Awards focused on amplifying its credibility.
Exclusive by-invite event
With both results for the individual and brand categories in, the public now awaits the final announcement of winners spanning all categories for both individual and brand awards at the prestigious, invite-only evening gala event that is set to take place this coming November 29 at Sofitel The Palm in Dubai. This year, the organizing committee partnered with Book my show to ensure a more professional approach issuing e-tickets with reserve seats for a seamless faster registration process.
A night of glam and glitters
Guests, nominated or not, are as equally excited to wear their best dress for the much-awaited awards night. Designers has expressed their excitement that a handful of Filipinos had approached them as early as 3 months ago for a customized couture dress just for this occasion. Some of designers who got the most number of clients were Michael Cinco, Harvey Cenit, Ryan Pacioles and Jlo Guardiana to name a few.
Be dazzled by world-class performances
An opening act befitting the glitz and glamour of a world-class red-carpet event like The Filipino Times Awards will thrill guests. The organizing committee has prepared couple performances to entertain the guests showcasing Filipino talents and music.
This year’s event is supported by Rakbank as Silver Sponsor, Honda, Prime Group, UAE Exchange, West Zone, Frontrow International, as Supporting Sponsors, P&A Grant Thornton as Auditing Partner and Book my show as Official Invitation System Partner.
