Filipino cancer warriors find hope through art, creativity

Over 500 Filipinos, both men and women in the UAE, are cancer patients or survivors.

“But, majority of our members are women who have either been on treatment or are survivors; 200 in Dubai. Most are breadwinners. Many are single. Many are on their own in their scheduled treatments.”

The numbers came from Myrtle de Jesus-Verano. She now enjoys an expanded family with a daughter-in-law and an “apo” (grandchild). She and her husband decided to settle down in the UAE in 2006.

The homemaker-employee recently expressed “utang-na-loob” (deeper debt of gratitude) to the Philippine Consulate General-Dubai (PCG-Dubai) /Dubai Health-Al Jalila Foundation-Majlis Al Amal/Casa Filipina – on behalf of the 500 members of the Filipino Cancer Warriors (FCW) she organised in 2022.

“We are very happy; very appreciative of this project. Many of our members have strong connections with the Dubai Health-Al Jalila Foundation which have referred us to Dubai Hospital and Latifa Hospital.”

“Majlis Al Amal (Hope Lounge) has been a place for our activities. It was here that some of us first met at its first anniversary in 2022.”

“We have grown since then. That is unfortunate. It means many are getting sick. Thankfully, this project is symbolic of how our government cares for us,” said Verano.

The “early detection” campaigner since 2018 emphasised the need for all overseas Filipino workers to “enrol” into all the basic services of the Philippine Government. From the mandatory Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) membership, she and other FCW-OWWA members were able to secure assistance from the government agency, during the first visit of “First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos to the UAE.”

The project was the “Kalimbahin: Filipina Handicrafts Workshop,” part of the PCG-Dubai “Pasiklab Pinoy 2026,” that emboldens compatriots in Dubai and the Northern Emirates to introduce cultural diplomacy concepts.

Initiators were Casa Filipina founders Marilou Lorenzo-Joson and Green Limbaga whose aim was “to demonstrate that cultural diplomacy could also be expressed through simple, meaningful acts of creativity, compassion and community engagement.”

“Creativity has the power to bring people together, uplift spirits, and create moments of joy and belonging,” chief executive officer (CEO)/managing director Joson told Gulf Today.

Main workshop materials were dried banana leaves-turned-beads. The 30 participants, including one from Ras Al Khaimah, were also offered paint designing a buri palm pamaypay (fan) and to colour wood bookmarks.

Sourced from a Zamboanga Peninsula (Mindanao)-headquartered social enterprise that supports local farmers and young community artisans, Joson, who emphasised the power of sustainability in the workshop guidelines, during the interview, said: “The process of transforming humble, discarded natural materials into something beautiful reflects the extraordinary journey of the FWC.”

“Just as the materials can be given new purpose through creativity, our women remind us that life’s challenges can reveal extraordinary strength, renewed hope, and beauty.”

Consulted was Mental Health advocate Dr. Rommel Pilapil Sergio: “Transforming nature like dried banana leaves into bracelets and bookmarks from recycled materials into colourful canvases offer opportunities to exercise divergent thinking, cognitive flexibility and problem-solving.”

“The project is an encouragement to tolerate uncertainties, approaches mistakes as opportunities for learning, and develops creative self-efficacy,” added the Canadian University Management professor/ Community Psychology doctorate holder.

Dubai Health-Al Jalila Foundation Community Engagement manager Nada Younis Abdelrahman Abdalla Alhajeri expressed “sincere” gratitude to the Philippine Consulate General-Dubai/Al Jalila Foundation-Majlis Al Amal partnership: “We are also delighted to Casa Filipina whose commitment to sustainable materials and support for the local primary community in the Philippines add a special meaning to the activity.”

In his speech, Consul General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates Ambrosio Brian Enciso III, welcomed by Dubai Health-Al Jalila Foundation CEO Dr. Amer Al Zarooni, explained that “Kalimbahin” is the ancient Tagalog word for the variant shades of pink.

He also stated that through the “Filipino Community-UAE Community” partnership, “cultural diplomacy acquires its deepest meaning. It touches lives and makes a difference, bringing a smile to someone.”