From surviving on rice and soy sauce to creating jobs: How the UAE changed one Filipino family's future

Dubai: When Joan David moved to the UAE in 2011, she wasn't looking to start a business. She was simply following the person she loves.

Before moving to Dubai, David has built a career in corporate finance in the Philippines, while her husband, Russell, was working in fuel logistics in Afghanistan during the war.

Although his career has been rewarding, it came with constant uncertainty.

"Every phone call came with worry and every goodbye carried uncertainty. When he was offered a position in Dubai, we knew it was the opportunity we had been praying for, a chance to leave that danger behind and finally build a stable future together," David told Gulf News.

That move has become the beginning of a new chapter, not just for David and her husband, but eventually for their entire family.

Survival came first

Long before the UAE, David's story has begun in Pampanga, Philippines where she grew up as the eldest of nine children.

Her father worked as a driver, earning the equivalent of around Dh30 a day, while her mother stayed home to raise the family. Life has been defined by difficult choices.

"There were days when my mother had to choose between paying the electricity bill and putting food on the table," recalled David.

To keep the electricity running, meals have often consisted of NFA rice, a government-subsidised rice in the Philippines, with oil and soy sauce. Fish has been an everyday meal because it was affordable and many mornings the children went to school without breakfast.

"A piece of hot pandesal (a staple bread roll in the Philippines) meant my mother had a little extra money that day. To us, bread was a luxury. Perhaps that's why pandesal carries such deep nostalgia for our family today. It reminds us of a time when even a simple piece of bread felt like a blessing."

Despite the hardship, David remembers a home filled with love.

"Our family was very close, one for all and all for one. If there wasn't enough, the older children made sure the younger ones ate first. Going hungry ourselves never felt like a sacrifice. It was simply what family did."

Her parents have believed that education was the one thing poverty could never take away.

"Every peso mattered and every sacrifice had a purpose."

Years later, those sacrifices have paid off. Today, the siblings have included architects, engineers, teachers, accountants, medical professionals, and a baker.

"We did not overcome poverty because life suddenly became easier. Surviving was the only way forward."

Finding stability in the UAE

In Dubai, life has gradually become more secure. Russell has continued his career in fuel logistics, while David advanced in corporate finance. They have started a family, learned to save and invest, and built a future they had never taken for granted.

"The UAE became the place where our lives truly began," shared David.

But that stability has been tested in 2020. David had just given birth to their second child when the Covid-19 pandemic began separating families around the world.

She and Russell have made a decision that many people questioned. They asked David's family to move to Dubai and live with them.

"It wasn't because we could comfortably afford it or because jobs were waiting for them here. But we believed that if the world was going to face one of its darkest moments, we should face it together, embracing one another under the same roof."

Financially, it has been a difficult decision. As businesses closed and jobs disappeared, David's father has accepted driving work wherever he could. Her mother has taken catering requests from friends. Her younger brothers have worked as cleaners, while several relatives struggled to find stable employment.

Before long, much of the family have depended on David's salary. Yet she has never regretted bringing them to the UAE.

"We were together and sometimes being together gives you the strength to survive what you never imagined possible."

The moment everything changed

The turning point has come when David saw her father pleading for a part-time job. Then she has watched him cry.

"It broke my heart, not simply because we needed the money, but because I saw a proud man who had spent his entire life sacrificing for his children slowly losing the dignity that honest work had always given him," exclaimed David.

One question has stayed with her, "Why are we begging for jobs when maybe we can create them ourselves?" That question has led David and Russell to establish Russell Dave Bakery.

"We started Russell Dave Bakery to create jobs for our family. More than that, we started it to restore our parents' dignity."

Today, the bakery provides opportunities for around 60 employees with four branches across the UAE including Dubai International City, Al Barsha, Deira, and Sharjah. For David, however, the number matters less than what it represents.

"It is a tribute to our parents' sacrifices, a reminder that dignity can be restored, and proof that some businesses are not built from ambition alone, but from love, gratitude, resilience, and family."

'The UAE gave us room to try'

Looking back, David has noted that the UAE played a defining role in every stage of their journey.

"The UAE first gave Russell and me safety, stable careers, and the ability to save," explained David.

"During the pandemic, my employment here became the lifeline that carried our family. Later, the UAE gave us an environment where people from ordinary beginnings could take a risk, build a business, and grow through hard work."

She has also credited the country's multicultural environment for helping them adapt.

"The UAE didn't guarantee our success, but it gave us room to try."

Today, David has bared that success is measured by the lives they have been able to touch. The family has invested in training employees, supports Filipino community and church activities, contributes to fundraising initiatives through food donations and practical assistance, and quietly helps families facing difficult circumstances.

"We do not publicise every act because we believe kindness doesn't become more meaningful simply because it is seen."

Different definition of success

For David, success today has little to do with financial milestones.

"Our parents gave us the values, this country gave us the opportunity, and our community gave us the courage to continue," said David.

She has expressed hope that others building a life in the UAE never lose sight of where they started.

"Never underestimate what consistent hard work can achieve but never lose sight of why you are working so hard."

Moreover, David has emphasised that people should never be ashamed of humble beginnings.

"The days when we went to school hungry, the summers I spent selling turon (sweet banana snack in the Philippines), and the mornings when pandesal felt like a luxury did not make our story smaller."

David has highlighted that the greatest achievement has never been about opening a bakery. It has been seeing her parents regain their dignity, keeping her family together, and proving that the opportunities they found in the UAE could become opportunities for others.

"If your dream is rooted in something bigger than yourself, every challenge becomes worth overcoming."