For almost 20 years, Filipino engineer Bernardo Allayban has been working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, just like any overseas Filipino worker, he went abroad seeking for a ‘greener pasture’ and to support his family’s financial needs.
Currently, he is working at Neproplast Co. Ltd. in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for nearly 20 years. He started as raw material controller and got promoted to inventory control manager which was then renamed as inbound logistics manager. Through dedication and hardwork, he got promoted as the supply chain manager wherein his duties include ensuring operations have sufficient materials at the right time with correct quality and quantity.
“I enjoy working with numbers. I like numbers all the time. This is why I have been here in the same company for 20 years now and counting,” he said.
According to him, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very peaceful and the crime rate is low that’s why he chose the host country as his workplace.
Before he decided to work abroad and left his family in the Philippines, he worked as a stock controller at Manila Plastic for about seven years.
Engineer with a life purpose
Outside of his work, Allayban is an instrument to help Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to excel in their field, especially in engineering.
He has been an active officer and one of the board of directors of the Electrical Engineers & Practitioners in Western Region of Saudi Arabia (IIE-WRCSA) in 2017. He was voted as the treasurer of the group in 2018 and became the president in 2019.
One of the objectives of the group is to enhance the electrical practitioners to be certified registered electrical engineers and master electricians. As the leader of the organization, they also help registered electricians to upgrade their status to become professional electrical engineers.
From 2015 to 209, they have produced 25 registered electrical engineers and 172 registered electricians through the help of frequent seminars for the participants to upgrade their skills by imparting the mentors’ knowledge.
On the side, through the AIC Filipino Cooperative (AFCO), they are also conducting a series of financial literacy talks for overseas Filipino workers with the objective to invest the participants money for the future. Allayban is one of the board of directors of the said group.
In January this year, IIE-WRCSA put up the Engineering Review Centre in the Philippines to help aspiring engineers to set their status up a notch or more.
“Save and invest for the future. Try not to change your lifestyle when you get more income. And try to educate yourself continuously as there’s no saturation point in learning,” he said when asked about his advice for Filipino migrant workers who want to succeed in life.
