Planning 'as vast as the ocean': How a Lanao del Sur lass became a salon manager in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — As most Filipinos say, if you have made it in Manila, you can make it elsewhere, even better, no matter what.

To this end, Dubai is replete with stories of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have successfully taken their chances in this expat city that never sleeps for a stab on its promise of the good life.

One such OFW is Gina Fe Bariga Sanico of Balabagan, Lanao del Sur, whose journey started when she left home to work in Manila for seven years, went back, got pregnant, then left her new-born son in 2011 to work as a nanny in Oman. She was 25 when she became an OFW.

Sanico went to San Isidro High School in Balabagan and was on scholarship at Mindanao State University in Marawi City, a working student taking a pre-course semester to pursue a degree in civil engineering, when she decided, however, to leave everything behind and join the diaspora.

“Gusto ko lang kumita na ng pera. It was my choice po. Hindi naman ako sinabihan ng parents ko na tumulong ako. Pero mas gusto ko nang magtrabaho. Hindi naman kami sobrang kapos. Wala kaming sariling bahay. Papa ko, ang work nya ay vulcanizer/mekaniko; at ang mama ko nasa bahay lang; apat kaming magkakapatid,” shared Sanico.

(I just wanted to earn money. My parents did not force me to help them financially, but I really wanted to work. We're not really poverty stricken. My father is a mechanic and my mother is housewife. I have three siblings.)

Sanico went to Abu Dhabi and worked as a nanny in 2013 before moving to Dubai three years later for greener pastures armed only with a high school diploma.

Dubai

And that’s when things started turning around. Sanico, with her resolve, inched her way up.

“Nag-apply ako sa kung anu-anong trabaho hanggang matanggap ako as sales coordinator sa isang seafood company – walang ibang baon kundi self-confidence, at ang aking ‘talking talent,’” she said, laughing at the part where she mentioned her “talent.”

(I applied for various jobs until I got accepted as a sales coordinator in a seafood company, armed only with self-confidence and my talking talent.)

“Hindi naman sa pagmamayabang [Not to brag about it], but yes I am good at words and numbers. And that was the start of my sales and marketing career. Without any degree or experience, I was eager to learn everything: accounting, admin, sales and marketing work," she added.

“In this job I met top executive chefs, purchasing managers and account managers of five-star restaurants. I met different people from different countries and all walks of life,” Sanico said.

She would be working overtime and driving around the city to do sales field work and came to a point when she was juggling three tasks at a time.

Indeed, nothing, not even a dawn fire that recently gutted the shared accommodation she was staying at in Satwa and left her with only the clothes on her back, could dampen her plans.

Finally, in April this year, Sanico, with help from an investor-friend, took over operations of a salon, which was also in Satwa. The arrangement was such that the investor, a German national, would take care of the finances; Sanico, for her part, will run the salon’s daily operations.

The salon officially opened on June 4 this year with Sanico, now having a trade license, at the helm with two OFWs, and plans to have a full staff of six employees.

Looking back

Looking back, Sanico said the rollercoaster ride paid off.

“I am looking forward to the salon growing, not just for myself but to help my fellow kabayans here to have work,” she said.

Sanico, who turns 35 next month, also hopes to open a branch of the salon and a restaurant. “There are lots of opportunities out there,” she said.

“My plan is always as vast as the ocean. I know this is just the beginning. There will be more in the future. With hard work, determination, patience, perseverance and prayers, I can do more. This has always been my vision the moment I set foot here in UAE. At sana yung plans ko ay maging matagumpay para sa pamilya ko at para makatulong sa kapwa ko OFWs dito sa UAE,” she said.

Sanico’s advice?

“Continue learning. Continue growing. Huwag makontento sa kung anong meron lang ngayo [Don't be contented with what is readily available]. You can be more. Use all your extra time learning either self-study or go for a Friday class if you can. Always try something new and don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. And lastly, keep praying.”

Satwa is a working class enclave with mostly OFW residents. —KBK, GMA News