Chef Roberto Fortuno

The vibrant story of Chef Roberto Fortuno’s humble beginnings started when his grandmother taught him how to cook Asian and Spanish cuisines. His passion for cooking made a remarkable culinary journey.

His innate love for cooking turned out to be an avenue to help him support his education during his college years. While pursuing his formal education, he became a working student and started as a kitchen staff, then was promoted to supervisor at well-known food chains in the Philippines. He then eventually handled restaurants as a sushi sous chef and sous chef. When Chef Roberto graduated from college, it was the same year that he realized to build his international career as a professional cook.

Job hunting back then took a lot of work, he recalled. There were selections of vacancies from international agencies, but he wanted to propel his career path in UAE. 2006 was his biggest break when he finally moved to Dubai and joined a global company. However, he faced unexpected things, such as being offered a job that didn’t match his experiences back home. His determination to pursue his dreams would not stop from this uncertainty, he thought to himself.

Patience is the most valuable virtue one can build throughout life. Since he loved meeting and greeting people, he met a British lady that offered him to be a sous pastry chef, which paved the way for him to work at Mama Thani Coffee Shop as an executive chef.

With enough knowledge, Chef Roberto climbed the ladder of the corporate world. He became a chef consultant for a company that deals with sunflower oil. There, he learned the finer details of business operations.

Chef Roberto knew that working in the kitchen would always be in his heart. To fill the void, he joined Ritz Carlton Hotel, where he worked fulltime and part-time jobs. He realized that more demanding assignments and designations would lead to more learning.

It led him to his current job as a chef consultant for KITOPI, a managed cloud kitchen platform that partners with restaurants to grow their business and expand their delivery reach. His current profession has also paved the way for him to become the only Filipino and a culinary judge certified by Worldchefs, a global network of chefs’ associations. He is also a member of the Young Chefs Committee at the Emirates Culinary Guild, an association of professional chefs and organizations dedicated solely to advancing culinary art in the UAE.

In his current employment, Chef Roberto leads a powerful team whose mission is to satisfy the world and its appetite through their over 200 F&B brands and restaurants across five countries. He and his team help run restaurants with their operations efficiently with an in-house operating system that enables their partners to grow their business and expand their delivery reach.

“Working overseas is a dream. Financial security is the number one reason,” he said, noting that being exposed to different cultures, especially in the culinary field, gave him the opportunity to broaden and unleash his potential as a chef.

Chef Roberto never stopped learning. Despite having a full-time job, he still enrolled in a culinary school and secured another degree from a known university in the Philippines.

When asked about his plans for the future, he said he wanted to put up his own company and apply what he learned.

“I want to give also my best support to the young chefs here in the UAE as part of the core group. Remembering how I started, I want to share with others, especially those young and hardworking Filipino chefs, and inspire them to make it to the international arena,” he added.

The seasoned chef advised his fellow Filipinos abroad to always look at the bright side of any challenges.

“Challenges overseas are not permanent, hence pursue your biggest dreams, and do not let discouragement stop you. Hustle and earn big abroad but make sure to prioritize better things,” he said.

“Multiply your skills and make sure to give back,” he added.

The Global Filipinos The Story Of Our Success

Jaimiely Monedo Dionglay

Filipina teacher bridging the gap in student learning now school principal in Dubai

Financial stability was the main reason why Jaimiely Monedo Dionglay decided to leave the Philippines.

As someone who lived in the province, not owning a place, meant spending a huge percentage of her salary on rent, food, laundry, and transportation. For her, saving enough money for emergency situations and for her future was not a priority because tending to her needs and her parents was her prime concern.

When Jaimiely joined a radio station, she became a media practitioner. This also paved the way for her to work for ABS-CBN as a production assistant for a non-primetime drama show.

Due to a health-related concern, she had to let go of the career that she wanted to have.

“I was frustrated but life must go on,” she said.

Fortunately, a radio station in the University of the Philippines Diliman, DZUP 1602, was in need of a news reporter. When she returned to the profession she thought would complete her, she felt like her heart and desire were no longer in the media industry.

That was when her fate led her to meet a high-ranking government official who advised her that if teaching preschool-aged children was her goal, she should apply for the Master of Family Life at UP Diliman.

Following her senior’s advice, she passed the admissions assessment of the program and went on to study different theories of child development as a full-time student from 2012 to 2014. While she was studying, she was granted the UP presidential scholarship which helped her with her finances.

With the frustration of not being able to provide for her parents while they were already senior citizens at that time, Jaimiely worked full-time as a preschool teacher while finishing her last year in Grad School.

After finishing her master’s degree and culminating a year of experience as an early childhood teacher, her sister processed all the required travel documents to be able to come to Dubai.

Settling in a different country, away from her loved ones, including her then-boyfriend, now-husband, was one of the biggest struggles that she had to cope with.

When she arrived in the emirate, she immediately worked as a foundation teacher for an institution that follows the UK national curriculum and was promoted to the head of the early years section. In her eight years of experience as an early childhood educator, there were many occasions when she felt like she was not up to par with the expertise of her colleagues. It was a silent battle she endured internally. The school trusted her capacity as an educator and supported her professional growth by sending her to various courses that shaped a big part of her consciousness and knowledge in the field of early childhood education.

When the pandemic happened, Jaimiely decided to step down to become a teacher again to focus on her family.

The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic had crushed many dreams, but the case was different for Jaimiely. The biggest plot twist of her 2022 was when she was approved by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) to be the founding center manager and principal of Le Eskolar Early Childhood Centre.

“If you’d asked me 10 years ago, if I see myself leading a school as a principal, I would probably have laughed at you because when I was in elementary, whenever I hear the word principal, I instantly get scared because of the level of authority that is associated with her,” she quipped.

As the principal, her role is the provision of professional leadership and management of the whole center and its academic and administrative staff on behalf of the school’s owners.

“I enjoy every bit of my stay at Le Eskolar because of the ethos that is established by the owners early on. With my current job, I am capable of implementing changes and conceptualizing initiatives that will benefit the students and their families, with the goal of moving our center forward in the field of early childhood education,” she said.

“As the principal, just like a mother, I always keep myself available to all staff, students, and their families, and to the governing bodies of the UAE should they require anything from Le Eskolar.”

The Filipina principal takes pride in finally having the first Filipino Early Childhood Center in Dubai that is patterned after the Philippines’ Department of Education’s K-12 curriculum. The center has been granted to provide education and services to children aged 4 to 6 years old.

“Amidst the busy city, our humble center keeps our students engaged and on-task by providing them with fun and stimulating activities in a safe and happy space. We value and celebrate our students’ uniqueness and place our learners at the center of our curriculum,” she said.

Jaimiely envisions having her own preschool or play school in the Philippines.

“To our Kabayans who are facing difficulties in life right now, please try to look at the positive side of the struggles that you are thrown with. I know that on most difficult occasions, we are tempted to just give up because our fear overpowers our faith. I’ve also been in difficult situations, yes, I cried, I got scared, and I doubted myself, but I didn’t let these circumstances define me, instead, I pick up bits and pieces of a painful/difficult experience and regard them as daily reminders that life can be harsh, but with faith, determination, and support from people who matter, I can bounce back stronger with a greater conviction to succeed,” she concluded.

The Global Filipinos The Story Of Our Success

Charmaine Betty Llerena

If there is one thing that Charmaine Betty Llerena is so much proud of about her profession, that would be enhancing one’s beauty and letting one shine through.

An award-winning microblading artist, Master Betty Brows, fondly called by her wide client base in the Philippines and in the UAE, shared how her microblading journey came about and sought to beautify high-profile clients in Hong Kong, Singapore, and in Dubai.

But before embarking on an overseas journey, she, too, was a dreamer when she was younger. Working abroad, according to her, was a dream. She recalled applying for a waitress job when she was just 21 since she holds a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. However, her plans didn’t materialize, so he ended up working in Manila, particularly in the sales and customer service industry.

When she got married and had two kids, she decided to settle in General

Santos City, wherein she found herself working as a sales executive and events coordinator at a hotel. It was also at that time that she started her own soap business and became a bridal make-up artist, which paved the way for her to conduct a series of make-up tutorial events.

“I was driven to share my skills every time just to inspire ladies to always be the best version of themselves as I always believe that making yourself beautiful doesn’t hurt anyone since I always have this mantra ‘look good, feel good and do good’ and ‘focus on yourself because you matter’,” she said.

Everything went well while she was simultaneously running a small soap business, accepting wedding events and bridal make-up clients, until microblading became the trend. Betty then collected microblading tools and practiced with some of her friends.

Her enthusiasm for the booming business was also a breakthrough in her career. Her mentor from the International Academy for Aesthetic Sciences asked her to join a microblading competition in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she emerged as the champion and the only representative from the Philippines.

“That was when I proved to myself that hard work with passion and dedication pay off, and it doesn’t mean because I am a mother, I can’t no longer be great and do great things,” Betty added.

The mother of two revealed that she used to ‘devalue’ herself because she was already a mother and assumed that single women were more capable than her.

“Perhaps I was wrong, and I’ve realized that my kids are not a hindrance to my dreams and to the things I wanted to achieve in life. Instead, they are my fuel to push me to get to the place where I wanted to be, they help me to believe in myself that I am capable of doing a lot of things, that everything is possible,” she further added.

Her microblading journey opened a lot of opportunities for her, such as judging competitions in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. She has also attended masterclasses in Vietnam and other South East Asian countries. Betty is also sought by various highprofile clients from Hong Kong and Singapore.

Moving to Dubai and weaving dreams

While Betty has already established her name in the microblading industry, she was no longer interested in moving overseas. However, when fate called, she answered with keenness. She believed that with years of continuous learning and mastering her craft, it was about time to bring them on a global scale.

“I am equipped with the skills I have, which I find something unique and truly delivers amazing results as what I can see from all my clients,” she said,

Moving to Dubai also allowed her to raise the Philippine flag in the aesthetic industry in the region.

“Being in the beauty industry is both a challenging and fulfilling experience,” she said.

Her current profession as a microblading artist involves cosmetic tattooing, specifically in enhancing eyebrows, treatment of dark lips, uneven skin tone, permanent eyeliners, and permanent lipstick, among others.

Betty revealed she hated herself for her imperfections. She had acneprone skin, uneven skin tone, small eyes, thin eyebrows, and dark and grayish lips.

“These things are the ones I was dying to treat, and these are some of the reasons why most ladies are putting on make-up and, for some reason, they go to salons,” she said.

“To be honest, I have all the conditions as my clients. So trust me, I know how it feels to have a pair of sexy brows, brighter pinkish lips every single day without lipstick on, to have brighter eyes because of permanent eyeliners, clear skin free from acne, manageable and softer, clearer skin condition,” she added.

Betty loves the feeling of giving pleasure to herself by making herself look good and more beautiful by enhancing her facial features, which she wants other ladies to feel.

For almost seven years now, the microblading expert has built confidence and trust among women and helped them to be the best version of themselves.

“Their smiles after transforming their eyebrows, lips, eyes, and skin are priceless. It’s a very satisfying feeling of fulfillment that no amount of money can ever exchange. It’s more satisfying than the money they pay for it. The goal here is to make them happy first, and I believe money will follow,” she said.

Betty was grateful to a number of people who she bumped into and who helped her achieve her goals in Dubai when she was settling in.

Betty, who has only been living and working in the emirate for over a year now, said that she felt anxious during her first two months because she didn’t have a single family member in the area. Through social media, she was able to cope with it.

Today, Betty does her own business as a freelance semi-permanent makeup artist and is currently affiliated with various local clinics as a beauty therapist.

When asked about her plans, she said he would continue helping women to be their own bosses and become the best version of themselves, and conquer the Middle East through her ‘Betty Arabia’. She also looks forward to opening a beauty school wherein she could enrich the knowledge of those interested learners so they could have their own businesses in line with beauty services.

“Dubai is just a start for me, there’s more to come, and I know there’s a lot of things that I can do,” she added. Betty advised her fellow OFWs to keep going despite all the hindrances.

“Trust me, God will never give us something that we can’t handle; He knows you better than me; He is higher than your struggles. Also, keep learning, keep doing your best, keep planting seeds of knowledge and new skills that you will carry along with you forever,” she said.

“Just in case you find yourself wondering if you should give it a go to learn something, don’t hesitate. Listen to your inner voice; if there’s a will, there’s a way for it to achieve,” she added.

THE GLOBAL FILIPINOS THE STORY OF OUR SUCCESS

Joel Malabo, RN

OFW palace nurse: When you dream, never stop achieving it

Every nurse is drawn to nursing because of a desire to care, serve, and help. Although he didn’t dream of becoming a nurse, Joel Malabo’s fate took him on this career path.

A frustrated politician, Joel is fond of helping people in need. When he was just a teen, he was elected as their barangay’s Sangguniang Kabataan chairman. He was tasked to coordinate with the National Youth Commission and other development projects and programs at the national level.

Overseas, he started as an Orthopedic Nurse at Jebel Ali Hospital for three years. Currently, he works as the head nurse at Zaabeel Palace Hospitality, the official kitchen of a royal family in Dubai.

Throughout his stay in Dubai for over one decade, he was bestowed with multiple awards, including his recognition as the Nurse of the Year organized by the now-defunct publication Kabayan Weekly in 2017. Two years after, in 2019, he received the JoyaLukkas Angels Awards from JoyaLukkas Jewelry company. Meanwhile, he was also awarded Staff of the Year by Zaabeel Palace Hospitality for two consecutive years.

Giving back, he spearheads a UAEbased Filipino nurses group on Facebook to help aspiring nurses work in the field.

Joel takes pride in his profession as the company he’s working with is committed to providing premium hospitality services for the royal family, other dignitaries, and government officials, among others.

In addition to the post as a head nurse, he also serves as the chairman of the Zaabeel Palace Hospitality Staff Welfare Committee, which aims to act as a liaison between staff and the committees serving as a bridge for communication on all issues dealing with staff policy, benefits, welfare, and goals. The committee aims to initiate and act upon several measures for the benefit of the staff. The main priority shall be to create a bond of solidarity and a spirit of satisfaction amongst the staff members, enhancing the quality of teaching at the Institute.

“Aside from giving a titled as a successful person, I still believe that I, being a nurse, my success is not measured by how other people see my achievements but it’s how I see myself helping other people in need,” he said.

Joel obtained his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pamantasan ng Cabuyao in 2007. He recalled starting his first job as an assistant nurse in a medical clinic at 21.

“When you dream of something, you should never stop until you achieve it. It may not be easy at first cause you will be meeting with different people and beliefs, and you will face problems on your own, but everything will be worth it later,” he said.

Joel also stressed saving for the future.

“We Filipinos are being raised to be family oriented, so we tend to forget to save for our future,” he added.

“Also, make time for yourself. We should prioritize and love ourselves,” he further added.

While working overseas, Joel experienced two traumatic experiences. In 2019, he suffered a heart attack (myocardial ischemia) which led him to do a procedure of Angioplasty heart surgery. Thankfully, he was able to survive it.

In less than a year, as a frontline nurse during Covid-1, he was exposed to the virus and manifested the worst symptoms that almost cost his life.

Because of this, Joel advocates mental and physical exercise.

“Planning and ideas can only be implemented through actions. Mental and physical exercise and a proper diet are a must. Keeping up Faith and a positive mindset is indispensable during difficult times. I also believe that if I strive to be a little bit better than I did yesterday, big improvement will follow. A step-bystep development will give me a more stable foundation. This, for me, is the key to success,” he concluded.