These OFWs show what Pinoy pride is at Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

HONG KONG---They may have traveled far from home, but the sense of pride remains unshaken for these OFWs even as they compete under a different country's banner.

Though Christopher Verdote and Jeffrey Tacuban currently work in Malaysia and Qatar, respectively, their loyalty remains unchanged.

This week, they competed under their host countries' banners at the 50th Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, but the two OFWs are still, at heart, racing for the Philippines.

Verdote, 32, is part of Argo Naga, the only Malaysian team seeing action in the Hong Kong tournament while Tacuban is among several Filipinos spearheading the Qatar-based Onslaught Racing Dragons.

"I'm from Manila pero kasalukuyang nagtatrabaho sa KL. Sumali kami dito sa Hong Kong to represent Malaysia, kami lang po 'yung nagiisang Malaysian team right now for this year," Verdote told GMA News Online in an interview.

(I'm from Manila but currently working in KL. We joined this race here in Hong Kong to represent Malaysia, we are the only Malaysian team right now for this year.)

"And what I bring to our team is hospitality and jolliness of us Filipinos."

Both away from their real homes, Verdote and Tacuban found new ones in dragon boating.

Verdote, who used to be with the Manila Dragons in the Philippines, flew to Malaysia five years ago as a clinical laboratory scientist. He craved an activity outside his professional work, which eventually led him to meet the Argo Naga.

"I felt like my life was boring so I needed a hobby and then I decided to join a Dragon Boat club and fortunately, I found my family in Malaysia. It was through a friend," Verdote added.

Dragon boat also felt like home away from home for Tacuban, an employee at Qatar Airways where he met fellow Filipinos who are also into the sport. In fact, most of the members of the Onslaught Racing Dragons are from the same company, which makes it easier for the team to conduct training sessions.

"It's really fun when we see Filipinos. We are proudly saying we are Filipinos but like we said, we are based in Qatar so mostly, we carry Qatar, but we put our (Philippine) flag (in our uniform)," Tacuban said.

Verdote and Tacuban are part of the huge Filipino representation at the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, which expanded from a weekend event to a 13-day festival to mark its golden anniversary.

The Philippine Dragon Boat Federation and the Alliance of Masters Dragonboat Club bannered the Philippines with the former capturing a silver medal in the International Women's Championship category on Saturday.

—JMB, GMA News