Dubai is branded as a millionaire’s sandbox — skyscrapers taller than egos, gold-plated cars, and brunches that cost more than a month’s rent in Manila.
But behind that façade of imported luxury, Filipinos are quietly hijacking the script. These seven names aren’t your cliché OFW stories. They’re the ones proving that Pinoy talent doesn’t just survive in Dubai — it thrives, dominates, and rewrites the rules.
Chef Nouel Omamalin (Chef Nouel) – Culinary Arts
Forget your bite-sized chocolates. Nouel went viral for making giant, Instagram-bait chocolate bars stuffed with knafeh, pretzels, and latte cream. During Ramadan, a TikToker with 20 million followers boosted the hype, and the bars sold out in minutes. Dubai’s foodies went feral.
Nouel isn’t just about going viral. He worked in Burj Al Arab, Sofitel Fiji, and Westin Beijing — feeding VIPs like Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Now he runs Nifty Chef LLC, consults on food businesses across the Gulf, and plans to bring his sweet empire home with Philippine cacao. In short: he’s proof that Pinoys don’t just cook pancit abroad — they cook up empires.
Glydel Dalguntas – Beauty & Pageantry / Entrepreneur
Crowned Miss Universe UAE 2023 2nd Runner-Up, Glydel could’ve stopped at pageantry, but no — she built G LAB Perfumery, dove into real estate, and shaped interior design projects for Dubai’s elite.
Her career started with a busted architecture job. Instead of crawling back home, she doubled down, worked as a secretary, did modeling, and launched her ventures within a year. Dubai gave her the playground, but she turned it into a laboratory for Pinoy creativity, hustle, and risk-taking.
Michael Cinco – Fashion / Couture Designer
The Catbalogan-born designer turned Dubai into his runway. Michael Cinco is now one of couture’s deadliest names. His gowns drape the bodies of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, J.Lo, Aishwarya Rai, Sofia Vergara — and Swarovski heiress Victoria Swarovski, who wore a $1 million gown encrusted with half a million crystals.
Cinco faced snobbery in Dubai, dismissed as “just another Filipino tailor.” So he sharpened his craft at Central Saint Martins in London and came back swinging. Today, his brand is untouchable. He turned prejudice into prestige — and stitched Filipino pride into couture history.
Dr. Karen Remo – Media & Communications / CEO & Publisher
When Karen Remo landed in Abu Dhabi in 2002, she was told secretarial work was her ceiling as a Filipina. She’s now CEO of New Perspective Media Group and publisher of The Filipino Times, the UAE’s biggest Filipino news portal.
She went from juggling visa problems and single motherhood to winning Entrepreneur of the Year (2020) and Female Leader of the Year (2019). Her company now advises governments and corporations while amplifying Filipino voices abroad. Karen didn’t just climb the ladder — she built her own.
Aquino Plotado – Real Estate & Film / Entrepreneur & Producer
Closing real estate sales in Dubai is cutthroat. Aquino Plotado didn’t just play the game — he smashed it with a AED 1 billion deal in Ras Al Khaimah, bagging the Billion Dirhams Deal Maker Award.
But he didn’t stop at property. He launched Aquino Plotado Film International and produced “As The Call, So The Echo”, a short film that cleaned up at the Emirates Film Festival. With a philanthropy foundation donating millions to schools in the Philippines, Aquino shows the OFW blueprint can evolve: earn, create, give back — all at once.
Imah Dumagay – Comedy & Entertainment / Stand-up Comedian
In a city obsessed with imported A-list comics, Imah Dumagay claimed the mic. She’s the first Filipina stand-up comedian in the Gulf, founder of Comedy Kix, and a headliner at the Dubai Comedy Festival.
Audiences of 1,800 have roared at her sets, but she’s also faced discrimination — clients canceling gigs when they learned she was Filipina. Instead of bowing out, she doubled down, making OFWs laugh at the very stereotypes meant to silence them. Her trophies? Best Local Performer (2022) and Emirates Influencer Award (2022). Imah proved humor isn’t just survival — it’s resistance.
Rico Cardoniga (Kabayan Rico) – Advocacy & Motivation / Author & Speaker
Kabayan Rico is the voice that tells OFWs the truth they don’t want to hear: earning abroad means nothing if you can’t save. A retired broadcaster turned motivational speaker, he wrote “The 12 Habits of Highly Successful OFWs.” His platform Tatak Pinoy Loud & Proud dishes financial literacy in bite-sized, no-BS segments.
He speaks at Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition (PPIE), hammering one lesson: stop overspending, stop “over-sending” to families, and start investing. Rico doesn’t romanticize OFW life — he weaponizes it, pushing Filipinos to turn sacrifice into actual stability.
These seven names prove Filipinos aren’t background players in Dubai’s theater of wealth. They are front-row, spotlighted, and setting the pace in food, fashion, real estate, media, comedy, beauty, and advocacy. They don’t just carry Pinoy pride abroad — they redefine what it means.
