DUBAI // Most news is bad news. But now a radio talk show is trying to redress the balance by sharing a few success stories with its Filipino listeners.
A Filipino couple who moved to Dubai in May 2001 are behind Filipino Excellence in the Middle East, which goes out every other Tuesday night on the Dubai Eye station.
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Art Los Banos and his wife Rachel - "Art and Elle" to their loyal listeners - have broadcast 14 episodes since October. Both have jobs during the week and are doing the show voluntarily.
"My partnership with my wife Elle is perfect," said Art. "She is the heart or soul of the show and I'm the head or mind. One may call it 'winning the hearts and minds of listeners'."
On Tuesday, two days after the celebrations marking the 113th anniversary of Philippine independence, their 15th episode will feature three Filipinos whom they consider "modern day heroes" - although they have yet to confirm exactly who those heroes will be.
Since their first broadcast on October 26, they have interviewed Filipinos on topics including personal finance, employment, shifting careers, alternative livelihood and community service.
Art, an exhibitions consultant in Dubai, said they started receiving rave reviews from the first show. "A listener sent a text message asking if it would be a regular programme," he said.
Roy Lamper, the executive producer of Filipino Rhythm at Dubai Eye 103.8, was quick to respond, telling him to announce on air that the show - which is mostly in Tagalog - would broadcast every other Tuesday, between 10pm and midnight.
"Our format is simple," said Elle, a freelance print, online and broadcast journalist in Dubai who previously worked as the senior correspondent of Nippon Television Network's Manila bureau for 14 years. "We have a free-flowing discussion and our guests are the stars of the show."
Initially, Art wanted a talk show on politics but ditched the concept in favour of something they felt would appeal to a wider audience: the profile of different professionals in the Middle East.
"Filipinos here continue to raise the bar of excellence in various fields," she said.
"The listeners learn from the mistakes shared by the guests and find inspiration from their success stories as well. It is very empowering."
They encourage listeners to join in, sending questions and comments by text or on Facebook.
"Most listeners asked what they should do when they lose their jobs," said John Sherwin Chua, a personal banking adviser in Dubai and one of the guests on the show.
"Those with outstanding debts should communicate with their banks. Not all credit shields cover job loss."
He gave tips on how Filipinos should manage their finances while working overseas.
"We have a tendency to live beyond our means," said Mr Chua, a member of the UAE Pinoy Bankers Organisation, which counsels Filipinos with personal loans and credit card problems. "It's quite sad that many have poor spending habits."
In January the show was host to Philippine ambassador to the UAE, Grace Princesa, who spoke about the things that make Filipinos proud: their sense of God, their country's rich natural and human resources, democracy, gender sensitivity and balance. Filipinos did not need to conquer anyone, she said.
"Let's not forget to do our best in anything we do while we're in the UAE," Ms Princesa told listeners.
There are more than 600,000 Filipinos in the UAE, 60 per cent of whom are skilled and professional workers.
A quarter are in the service sector and 15 per cent are household workers.
rruiz@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Stan%20Lee
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Founder: Hussam Hammo
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Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
Company%20profile
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