In mid-2017, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported that around 618,000 Filipinos work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While Filipinos are known to be joyful and to go over and beyond the call of duty, it is not everyday that other people would commend the Filipino spirit and express their gratitude.
That is exactly what Emirati online celebrity, Al Ameri did. This vlogger based in Abu Dhabi posted a YouTube video saying that Filipinos have made his country “a better place.” He honored those working as teachers, artists, technicians and those in service industries. He showed them smiling and waving at the camera.
“The tag line of the Philippines is ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines,’ and that is what the Filipino community have brought to this country,” he said.
“I wanna thank them for one thing in particular … their joy of life, their kindness, their ability to smile no matter what, and through that, they make this country a better place,” he added.
“And from my family, on behalf of my country, I say, ‘maraming salamat po,’” said Al Ameri.
He has over 428,000 followers on Facebook and as of today, the video has had 3.8 million views and shared 127,384 times.
Thousands of Filipinos commented, thanking Al Ameri for his appreciation.