Searching for jobs in the UAE may be easy for some, but it was difficult for Christopher Vergara Rollan, an Abu Dhabi-based OFW.
He recalled arriving in Abu Dhabi on March 23, 2004, his mother’s birthday. Under a visit visa, he had to walk from the Mark Spencer Airport road to the Abu Dhabi Mall, then back to the airport road for a minimum of six kilometers each day just to find a decent job in the field of IT.
It was his father’s idea to visit him in the UAE, where he worked as a lead foreman. When he received the invitation, he was already working as a corporate communications staff in Makati.
“I knew it was my turn to be an OFW since I had promised him that one day, it’s going to be my turn to work abroad,” he said.
Fulfilling his promise to his family, Christopher was finally accepted as an assistant HR administrator for a leading IT company with a AED1,500 monthly salary, or just a little over P18,000 at that time, after sending four CVs to the same company within the span of four months.
A year later, after their IT operations manager discovered that he could fix computers, terminate UTP, share folders, and troubleshoot computers, he was recruited by the IT department of the same company. Christopher was sent to Nakheel projects as an IT engineer to set up, install, and migrate their machines across their subsidiaries.
As he got married and a child was on the way, he had to leave the company to join another company; however, it was just a short-lived experience as the company terminated its employees’ contracts, leaving them, including him, jobless. It was a ‘blessing in disguise’ because in 2006, he received a job offer from a British PMC firm where he worked as a senior IT engineer/project control engineer and a consultant for more than four years. He became part of several multi-million dollar projects, such as Etihad Academy, Cleveland Clinic, Alfalah Community Development projects, World Trade Towers, and Reem projects, to name a few.
Two weeks after his church wedding and two days before his birthday, he, unfortunately, lost his job because of the recession in the country. His wife supported the family for the next four months. With the depleting budget, they decided to return to the Philippines. The day before their flight back home, Christian received a call for an interview, promising him a senior document controller position.
“I did not expect anything since the work was not aligned with my expertise,” he recalled.
The next day, they went back home, and two weeks later, the company that interviewed him showed interest in hiring him, so they sent him the offer letter and visa.
It was another heavy heart to leave his family behind, but he had to do it to give them a comfortable life.
“The real OFW stigma had just started to sink in me. Realizing how my dad managed that for more than 25 years working abroad–from Saudi Arabia, Africa, Hong Kong, and in UAE,” he said, noting that he could only recollect the two months his father stayed with them to spend quality time then back abroad for another two straight years.
“For me, they are the true hero as they have endured all the predicament of being away without cellphones, no internet connection–only letters and voice tapes,” he added.
He worked as a document controller and IT professional at the same time for six months until he received another termination letter.
The termination letters he received every month for six months took a toll on his mental health as they reminded him to look for a job as soon as possible. During that time, he only prayed for two things: to secure a job and to reunite with his family.
With enough savings, he risked bringing his family back to UAE in 2011. When the stars aligned for him, he was accepted as an IT administrator who reports directly to the general manager. After completing numerous projects, awards, and milestones, four years later, he was promoted to head of the IT department, which he has held since 2015. Being the only Filipino head in the organization makes him proud to be a world-class and Global Filipino.
Before he was promoted, he co-founded PIITA.org, a non-profit organization helping fellow IT professionals in the UAE pursue excellence in the field of IT.
In the midst of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, he also co-founded Mitacor.net, an SEC, BIR, and SSS-registered IT corporation in the Philippines that provides opportunities to young and dedicated IT professionals and students as interns.
Trained for real world since a child
As a child, Christian has already seen the preview of the real world. He drove a tricycle at the age of nine and sold water and fish at 10. At 14, he was a part-time laborer at a construction site. He also learned the practical use of mathematics when his mother mentored him on how to sell bananacue, turon, ukoy, and maruya.
A straight honor student in elementary and a below-average student in high school, he completed a two-year diploma course in Computer Systems Technician. He pursued his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. During that time, he had to work as an IT and graphic artist, paid P50 per day as his father lost his job in Hong Kong.
Sometimes, he had to queue to pay for his tuition, hoping his mother would show up with the cash before he even reached the counter.
Christian plans to retire in five to 10 years to focus on PIITA and MITACOR. He also plans to continue growing his social media channels, where he shares his life.
He advised his fellow OFWs to have the right attitude.
“Hindi pwede ang balat sibuyas. I have been humiliated and insulted many times, but I never took it personally. But instead, work hard and polish your craft,” he said.