This column will talk about all my activities with my wife on Sunday, October 5, where we fully enjoyed our lives encompassing body, mind, and spirit.
We attended the first morning mass at 7:30 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Jebel Ali. Coincidentally, it was the Feast Day of St. Francis where the whole parish had a two-day grand celebration with the various language communities, charismatic movements, and volunteer groups. There were several entertainment presentations, information booths, and food stalls.
Our CFC community had an information booth showcasing the different family ministries KFC, YFC, SFC, SOLD and HOLD. I gave an impromptu two-minute speech explaining what our community is about. I shared that CFC is a global movement present in more than 140 countries whose goal is to strengthen marriages and family life with the vision of “Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing the Face of the Earth”. I connected our vision with the advocacy of St. Francis which is to have Peace. I said that if we renew ourselves, our marriages, our family, and our society, then there will be Peace on Earth.
Lunch time till late afternoon, we attended the Grand Finals of the Dakilang Manggagawang Pilipino (DMP) sa UAE 2025 or DMP 2025 initiated by Pinas Cargo in 2021. It was the fifth consecutive awards event organized by the entrepreneurial and dynamic officers and staff of the Pinas Group of Companies led by Founder and CEO Marlyn Flores Castro. Our company, Tristar Group, was the main co-presenter this year.
The awards event was widely supported by the Philippine mission in the UAE led by Ambassador Alfonso Ver of the Philippine Embassy, Consul General Marford Angeles of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, and Labatt Attaché Atty. John Rio Bautista of the Migrant Workers Office – Dubai & Northern Emirates; Philippine Business Council – Dubai & Northern Emirate; Filipino Social Club; and so many small and medium enterprises, some owned by other nationalities who are targeting the Filipino Community in the UAE.
As a sponsor, I was given the opportunity to speak and I used the occasion to empower the 11 finalists, the guests and even the representatives of the SMEs that Filipinos in the UAE should not only excel within the Filipino Community but also within the global environment as we are a talented and skilled workforce. I added that we should just be Articulate, Assertive, Adventurous and Authentic. We can be decision-makers in companies and not just as assistants and supervisors. We can be Global Filipino Excellence.
Congratulations to grand winner Mark Jore. The gathering was also a great time to talk briefly with old-time friends in the UAE like Lito Echevaria aka Bluebird of Tag 91.1 radio and Jon Llarena, an architect, who I met in Al Khobar two decades ago.
Then we attended the Media Night which is a private event where the owners of Santuwaryo Resto Bar near Murraqabat Street in Deira hosted a select group invited by The Global Filipino Magazine’s JP Cosico. Vice Consul Paola Ebora congratulated the owners on behalf of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai. What sets the new outlet apart from Filipino-owned bars is that it is the only venue right now offering live acoustic music. My wife and I enjoyed our two-hour stay. The sound was not too loud so you can have a good conversation while chilling. We just drank iced tea.
To end the night, we completed my wife’s 10,000 steps daily target near our home at the east side of Furjan in Jebel Ali. Weather now is very pleasant.
The UAE is a place where all aspects of life are realized. Yesterday, October 5, we fully enjoyed our lives in body, mind, and spirit.
Note: The columnist is a 24-year resident of Dubai and is currently working as Head of Corporate Communications of a global energy logistics company. He used to be a former Filipino Community Leader as chairman of the Philippine Independence Day Execom in 2008 and as one of the founding officers of the Filipino Social Club in 2019. He can be reached at: artlosbanos@gmail.com
