This year, the Philippines and the UAE will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. With more than a million Filipinos residing in the country, and still growing, the UAE has become a gateway for us to excel in different fields including business, healthcare, engineering, architecture, and creative fields, among many others, playing significant roles from leadership down to the humblest positions.
“Immediately after the Founding Father Sheikh Zayed established the seven emirates in 1971 into the United Arab Emirates we know today, Filipinos were already part of the first group of expatriates that came to the UAE’s desert sands to help build the foundations of the cities of this country,” said HE Alfonso Ferdinand A. Ver, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, during the 49th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the UAE.
“They were among the first architects, builders, and engineers to come to the UAE to build the first bridges and buildings of this young nation. Those Filipinos founded and cemented the strong ties between our two countries which have endured to this day,” he added.
With this strong relationship between two thriving countries, comes real stories of Filipinos who continue to build their own lives here. Behind that huge population of Overseas Filipinos (OFs), are unique tales of how they have seen the UAE’s fast transformation, and how the country’s progress has also helped in shaping their lives.
How it started
Among the Filipinos in the front-row seat to witness UAE’s growth, is Evangeline Gregorio, a 61-year-old Sales Promoter at Boots Pharmacy and a resident of the UAE since 1987. Having spent nearly half her life in the country, she has been afforded a unique perspective, witnessing the UAE’s transformation from a sand-covered landscape to the vibrant and thriving tourist destination that it has become today.
“Dubai has changed a lot since then until now. When I first arrived, the mall was only Al Ghurair and Al Mulla buildings, and Dubai was almost entirely a desert. Goods were inexpensive—only 2 dirhams for a kilo of fish, 5 dirhams for a tray of eggs, and affordable rice. There were no buses or subways, and communication was limited to landlines and pagers,” Evangeline recalled.
As she witnessed the country’s evolution, it carved a path for her own life to flourish. With over 37 years in the UAE, she not only observed its transformation but also achieved remarkable milestones in her own journey.
“Dubai holds numerous memories for me – from meeting my husband to giving birth, all the way to our 25th silver wedding anniversary celebration. We have spent almost half of our lives here, building many dreams,” Evangeline expressed.
Unfortunately, her husband passed away due to his kidney failure which gave her a great loss. Despite the tragedy, Evangeline continued to work hard to secure a good life in the Philippines when she decides to go back for good. Today, she continues to find peace and new meaning in the country where she and her husband have created a home.
Passing it on to the next generation
In a press conference in Dubai last 2023, Ambassador Ver said that “Dubai is the place to be.” Currently, he stated that there are over a million Filipinos in the UAE. Among them, around 450,000 Filipinos reside in Dubai alone, representing roughly 21.3% of the emirate’s total population. These figures somehow serve as an encouragement for other Filipinos to shift their lives to the UAE as well.
Memories of OFWs in the country also include the passing on of a good life from one generation to another. For Liezel Zanoria, a Sales Executive in a marketing agency in Dubai, it’s the best gift she could have received from her parents.
“One of my best memories here in the UAE is being with my family when we always celebrate my birthday together here during school breaks. I liked Dubai’s environment which is why I also decided to work here,” Liezel stated.
Now living here with her husband and child since 2018, she continues to reflect on her father’s journey, working as hard as he did to provide for their family’s needs.
Like Liezel, Operations Administrator KC Panganiban decided to live in the UAE and build a family here because of her parents, who also worked in for many years in the country.
“Both of my parents were OFWs in the UAE. So, I guess they have influenced me in a way, since they have already experienced living here. We feel very blessed for our life here,” KC said.
Today, KC lives in Sharjah with a husband and a daughter, who they wish to experience the UAE’s promise of a good life. She shared, “I look forward to having my daughter, who will start her schooling this year, also experience the good life of living in the UAE.”
A world of opportunities
In 2022, the UAE was ranked the sixth best place for expats to live in, according to a survey conducted by InterNations. This makes it the only country in the Middle East to enter the top 10, with expats noting that the country offers top-notch leisure facilities, easy travel and transit options, and countless career opportunities.
In addition to this recognition, two thriving cities in the country—Abu Dhabi and Dubai—were named among the top five in the world’s best cities to work in 2021, as revealed in a study conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Bayt.com.
Vida Serrano, a Senior Associate at Alsuwaidi & Company, proves this to be true as the country opened doors for her to thrive in her career.
“I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have called the UAE home since 2011, when I joined my husband. Starting my journey with a local law firm, it eventually led us to embark on an exciting chapter in New York, where I pursued my Masters in Law,” Vida shared.
Although given a chance to work in a different country, Vida decided to return to the UAE in 2014 and embraced a role as an in-house lawyer with a multinational service provider. Fast forward to 2016, she found a home at Alsuwaidi & Company, where she is currently flourishing as a Senior Associate in the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group.
For Vida, living in the UAE has profoundly shaped her life, enabling her to strike a harmonious balance between motherhood and a fulfilling career.
“Here, I can cherish precious moments with my kids and husband while still pursuing my professional aspirations,” she said.
Meanwhile, Account Manager Yasmin Oronos, who has been living in the UAE for 12 years now, shares the same sentiments as Vida. She views the UAE as a vast world of opportunities, opening doors for her that led her out of her comfort zone.
“I had the chance to relocate to UAE due to my mother’s prior presence here. Initially, I never anticipated staying this long, as there are challenges that made it quite difficult in the beginning,” Yasmin shared.
“However, as time went on, I learned to adjust to the Dubai lifestyle. Coming to the UAE changed my perspective and it made me realize that there’s more to discover than settling for the comfort of the life you once knew. My experiences here serve as constant proof that life holds more opportunities, and with dedication, one can uncover and strive for them,” she added.
These facts, along with the countless unique stories shared by OFWs, prove that the UAE has indeed become our home. The memories and experiences we create here are the ones we will someday look back on, and say to ourselves, ‘ahhh, what a good life it has been.’
