ILOILO City – At 42, Rowena “Wheng” Ambid-Elle thought she had seen enough of life’s challenges — until missiles began streaking across the night sky above Dubai.
A decade into her journey as an overseas Filipino worker in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Ilongga from Igbaras, Iloilo found herself facing a reality she had only seen on television — explosions rumbling through the air, black smoke rising from afar, and the constant uncertainty of what might happen next.
Elle, a mother of two, has worked for 10 years in Emirates Hills, Dubai, about 15 minutes away from Palm Jumeirah — a luxury man-made archipelago recently struck by a missile amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The five-star Fairmont The Palm hotel got hit.
For the first time since she arrived in the United Arab Emirates, Elle experienced the sound and sight of missiles flying overhead.
She vividly recalled the night of February 28 when the explosions first shattered the silence hours after joint United States and Israeli airstrikes killed the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“First time nakabati kami lupok, as in baskog. Ang balay nagtay-og kag feeling namon sa likod lang. Lapit lang gid kami sa hotel nga nasunog (due to the missile strike), mga 15-minute drive lang gid siguro kami sa Palm Jumeirah,” Elle told Panay News.
Sleep eluded her until morning. Since then, the missile and drone explosions came in waves, especially with their proximity to Jebel Ali Port, a target of Iranian ire.
“Makita gid namon ang mga missiles nga galinupad lang. Ten years na ako sa Dubai pero first time ‘ni natabo sa United Arab Emirates,” said Elle, who initially found a job as a bar tender and later as a nanny.
Despite the frightening spectacle in the sky, Elle chose calm over chaos. While some of her companions panicked each time they heard a blast, she steadied herself with silent prayers.
“Ako daw kalma lang. Indi man ‘bi ako nerbyosa gid. Pero naga-silent prayer lang ako,” Elle revealed.
Life, however, has not stopped. Work continues at her employer’s residence. Every evening, she and her companions walk — sometimes run — back to their separate sleeping quarters nearby, mindful of the risks.
“Naga-gwa kami kon tapos na duty namon kay lain man balay namon nga ginatulogan, walking distance lang sa balay ka amo. Sadya lang gani kay gadalagan kami papuli kay basi anytime mahulugan kami ka missile,” hambal ni Elle.
Their employer reportedly tried to arrange temporary evacuation to a hotel, but most establishments were already fully booked as Dubai residents sought safer shelter.
In recent days, Elle said the situation has slightly eased compared to the first wave of explosions.
“May ara pa kami mabatian kagab-i pero malaka na sia. Indi na pareho sa una gid to nga night asta kahapon nga sunod-sunod lang nga lupok. Kahapon makita gid namon sa balcony ang itum nga aso nga agi gid ya ka lupok,” said Elle.
Yet the uncertainty lingers — not only in the skies above Dubai but also in Elle’s long-awaited plans to return home.
Because of flight cancellations triggered by the regional conflict, her scheduled March 4 flight to the Philippines may be postponed.
Elle had been preparing for a month-long vacation with her family in Iloilo, a reunion now hanging in the balance.
She has kept her family informed since tensions escalated to prevent them from worrying too much. But like many OFWs in the Middle East, she now faces the difficult reality of living and working in a region gripped by geopolitical strain.
For Elle, the experience has been sobering — a reminder of how global conflicts can suddenly intrude into the lives of ordinary workers far from home.
Ten years in Dubai had brought her stability and routine. Now, missiles in the sky have become part of her memory — and perhaps a defining chapter in her story as an Ilongga working abroad.
(Note: As of this writing yesterday afternoon, Elle told Panay News she and her co-workers were preparing to evacuate with their Pakistani employers. Their itinerary is Saudi Arabia, then proceed to Pakistan.)/PN
