DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Filipina comedian in Dubai is offering an unfiltered glimpse into the life, sly triumphs and slights faced by her 2.2 million compatriots across the Middle East. They care for children, wait tables and otherwise power economies across the wider region. Imah Dumagay, a former executive assistant, quit her job to be a full-time standup comic in the city-state. She uses her experience as a Filipina to offer jokes about the challenges she and others have faced. Filipinos working in the Mideast send billions of dollars in remittances back to their families in the Philippines. But they live in countries that often treat them as a disposable, low-paid workforce.
In Dubai, Filipina pulls no punches in jokes on Mideast life
