The Polish content creator who turned a wakesurfing stunt into a viral love letter to the Filipino community last year appears to be at it again.
Karolina Agata Sankiewicz, the Dubai-based influencer known online as “Surfer Barbie,” was photographed on a boat off the Dubai coastline alongside her predominantly Filipino crew, with the Philippine flag flying and the team dressed in white and barong-style attire. The image was shared by Dubai-based Filipino social media personality Nick Chua, who circulated it as the community gears up for Philippine Independence Day on June 12. Sankiewicz herself has not yet released a finished video tied to the shoot.
The setup mirrors the production that brought her sudden attention a year ago. In June 2025, Sankiewicz wakesurfed at Jumeirah Beach in a butterfly-sleeved, terno-inspired Filipiniana gown while holding the national flag, set to an instrumental of “Lupang Hinirang.” Gulf News reported that her clips collectively passed 75 million views across platforms, while Khaleej Times, which interviewed her, noted that two of the tribute videos drew close to 62 million views within two days of posting.
In that interview with Khaleej Times, Sankiewicz said the project was meant to honor her team members, “many of whom are from the Philippines,” and described them as among the kindest and hardest-working people she had met. She named crew members Richard Napenas, Daryll James Mabale and Archie in remarks reported by Gulf News, and said a friend had brought back an authentic Filipiniana dress from the Philippines for the shoot.
Not all of the response was celebratory. The Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Global Nation and Asian Journal both reported that the use of the flag and national dress by a non-Filipino sparked debate online over how national symbols should be used, with Asian Journal noting that no formal complaints were filed despite the discussion.
GMA News later reported that Sankiewicz, who has lived in Dubai for more than a decade after a stint in Hawaii, attended the 2025 Independence Day celebrations at the Dubai World Trade Centre and visited Filipino community events in the months that followed, saying she wanted to give back to a community that “work very hard to support their families back home.”
