"I lost my job. My family went home. I stayed behind."
When Rose Sharon Mangaporo Macias left Naval, Biliran for the United Arab Emirates in 2006, she wasn't chasing a dream. She was simply stepping into a new chapter of her life, leaving behind the familiarity of home in search of better opportunities and a brighter future.
Back in Cebu, she had what many would consider a good life. She worked as an Administrative Officer for a Japanese company that imported luxury cars. The job was stable. Life was comfortable.
"But like many OFWs, I left my comfort zone because I believed there were bigger opportunities waiting."
Her first job in the UAE was with a construction company in Fujairah. The adjustment wasn't easy. The weather was unforgiving. The food was unfamiliar. The workplace brought together people from different cultures, each with their own way of doing things.
"It was overwhelming at first. But those early years taught me resilience and adaptability."
She imagined she would spend her career quietly working behind a desk.
Life had other plans.
"The hardest chapter came when my family decided to return to the Philippines to settle down."
She chose to stay.
Then she lost her job.
"Suddenly, everything I had worked for felt like it was falling apart."
There were moments when she could have packed her bags and gone home too.
Instead, she moved to Dubai alone.
"I had a family depending on me. Giving up was never an option."
When BNC Network offered her a position, it wasn't the role she wanted. They had a place for her in the Finance Department.
But she asked for something different.
"I told them I wanted to work with people. I wanted to build relationships."
The managers reminded her that she had no sales experience in the UAE market.
"So I simply asked them to give me a chance."
They did.
"They trained me. They believed in me before I fully believed in myself."
That decision changed everything.
The woman who thought she would spend her career in administrative work eventually became Head of Strategic Partnerships at one of the Middle East's largest market intelligence providers.
Today, she represents the company in executive boardrooms across Europe and the Middle East. She has traveled to 29 countries. She has built partnerships with industry leaders.
She is also the only Filipino in the company.
"I carry that with pride because every meeting is an opportunity to represent both my organization and my country."
Looking back, she says the darkest season of her life became the foundation of her biggest breakthrough.
"The moment I received my job offer from BNC, I remember thinking, 'Everything is going to be okay.' It wasn't just employment. It was hope."
Through every setback, one thing kept her moving.
"My family."
She also found another family in Dubai.
"The friends I met here became my chosen family. They reminded me that home isn't always a place. Sometimes, it's the people who choose to stand beside you."
Her guiding philosophy was born from experience.
"When everything around you is crumbling, you can't afford to crumble. You keep going because there are people who depend on you."
Her faith strengthened that conviction.
"For with God nothing will be impossible." — Luke 1:37.
Despite the titles, the international travel, and the career she never imagined having, the achievement she's most looking forward to isn't another promotion.
"I've already seen my eldest child graduate from university. My biggest dream now is to watch my two younger children reach that same milestone."
She smiles when she says it.
"That will always be a greater accomplishment than any position I've ever held."
For Filipinos dreaming of working overseas, her advice isn't about finding the perfect opportunity.
It's about what happens after you arrive.
"Be resilient. Stay humble. Keep learning. Don't be afraid to start from the bottom or step outside your comfort zone."
"Success abroad isn't about how quickly you climb the ladder."
"It's about having the courage to keep climbing, even when life keeps changing the path."