Dubai: Despite the tragedy that struck just a few days ago, employees of a Filipino restaurant in Deira who arrived in Dubai three months ago are high in spirits, thanks to the outpouring of support.
Filipino employees of Little Manila — all 66 of them — arrived in Dubai in batches in August and September for the restaurant’s opening. Three months later, their company accommodation at Al Shamsi Building on Salahuddin Road in Deira were gutted on Monday, burning many of their belongings and important documents.
Darius Simbahan, the restaurant supervisor, said the women employees previously stayed at the A block while the men lived in the B and C blocks.
“The good part is, since we’ve only been here for three months, we haven’t really bought a lot of things yet. But the best part is, the items we lost are just material things; they can be replaced,” Simbahan, 43, told Gulf News.
When the fire struck, the employees said their bosses were on hand right away to help. They were moved to a hotel temporarily and given money to buy what they needed. Food was also provided.
“It’s heartbreaking because we’re still new to Dubai and adjusting to the environment here. But our bosses and colleagues lifted our spirits by being there to support us since day one,” Sheryll Rico, a baker, said.
The employees also received clothes, linen and toiletries from members of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church and from Star Metro Hotel Deira, which donated 65 blankets. Other members of the community helped by giving food and water to residents waiting outside the Al Shamsi Building.
“We didn’t expect the outpouring of support from the community. It’s overwhelming! We feel so blessed,” Simbahan said.
Art Los Banos, one of the organisers of the relief support at St. Mary’s Church, said the group was able to collect donations amounting to Dh8,000 to help the fire victims, on top of the material donations they received.
“All the physical items are already covered. If people want to donate, they can opt to give money instead,” Los Banos said.
Among those who received help was Hosanna Frayres. Asked how she was coping, Frayres smiled and replied: “We weren’t able to save anything, not even our work uniforms. So the shirt I have on right now is donated by people we barely even know. For that we’re grateful.”
“At first, we were devastated. But eventually, the incident united us and made us into one family,” Simbahan said.
