Pinay influencer tells OFWs where to buy more for their money

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A former perfume sales promoter in malls has turned to her prowess in video content to become a popular influencer with more than two million followers, mostly fellow overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), whom she advises about sale events for their care boxes and gifts to relatives and friends back home.

And being the bargain-hunting hagglers that most Filipinos are, Kristine Escano, 32, who goes by the social media name “Bengs Hyu,” couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.

Discount promos

"Nabansagan na nga po akong ‘Super Sale Discount Queen,’ kasi kung nasaan ang discount (promos), naruon din ako. Ina-announce ko palagi sa mga kababayan natin, kaya lalo silang nagmo-monitor sa aking posts," Escano said.

"Malaking tulong daw, lalo na sa mga gustong makatipid at naghahanap ng murang bilihin sa mga pang-araw-araw na kailangan nila, sa mga pangpa-cargo nila at pasalubong sa mga uuwi ng Pilipinas," she added.

(I have been referred to as the “Super Sale Discount Queen” because I am always where the discount promos are. I always announce the sale event, that’s why they all the more monitor my posts. They say it’s a big help especially for those who want to get more for their money, looking for cheaper goods for their everyday needs, for their care boxes and gifts they will bring home with them on vacations.)

Escano, who has a degree in cruise line operations and hotel services from  Lyceum of the Philippines in Intramuros, Manila, said she finds comfort in the thought that she is helping her kababayans get better value for their hard-earned money through her video ads.

Tragedy

But there’s more to her story than just being a “Super Sale Discount Queen.”

Escano, whose big brother and only sibling was suffering from a medical condition since around 2013, flew to Dubai on a visit visa upon finishing college in 2014 to earn money for his medication. He passed away in 2016. The tragedy left Escano heavily in debt.

"Naghanap po agad ako ng work. Sa sales po ako napunta. Kahit iba ang kurso ko sa naging work ko, laban lang kasi ako lang inaasahan nina mama at papa," she said. 

(I immediately looked for work. I landed a job in sales. It didn’t matter to me that my work was not related to my degree. I had no choice. My mother and father were counting on me.)

And so, for the next three years, Escano would be sprinkling mall-goers with perfumes from testers for a living. "I was making AED2,500 but I had a financial debt to pay back home, as well, I needed to support my parents, plus rent and food here in Dubai. I would always end up with just a candy," she said in a mix of English and the vernacular.

Video-making

On her free time, Escano would make videos about how life is for most OFWs in  Dubai. 

"Mga eksena na nakaka-relate 'yung mga OFWs lalo na sa Middle East tulad ng 'pag nasa ‘sharing’ ka nakatira… 'pag nagluto ka ng aalmusalin mo sa  gabi at paggising mo sa umaga ay bawas na or ubos na, may kumaing iba," she said, when asked what her videos were usually about.

(Scenes that OFWs can relate to, especially those in the Middle East like living in a shared apartment unit… you prepare breakfast before you go to bed at night and get up in the morning to see that part of it, or the whole food is gone, somebody ate it.)

Other videos would be about saving water in a container at night during the summer so that you’ll have cooler water for bathing in the morning before you go to work, only to discover that someone else has used it, Escano said.

Soon, more and more OFWs were watching her videos online because of the relatable content until finally Escano got a break from a Filipino-operated travel agency, which convinced her to quit her job in 2017, be a licensed content creator, focus on making content and be their brand ambassador.

"Sa paglipas ng panahon ay dumami na rin ang mga nagtiwala na companies sa akin na magpromote ng kanilang brand. Tumutulong din po ako sa mga Filipino-owned businesses dito sa UAE," Escano said.

(Over time, many companies put their trust in me to promote their brand. I have also been helping Filipino-owned businesses in the UAE.)

Escano has likewise been providing support for people with the same passion for making videos to become influencers, too.

Indeed, her life has changed a lot.

“Dati, pambili lang ng candy ang natitira sa akin sa sweldo. Ngayon, may sasakyan na po ako at napagawa ko na rin ang bahay namin. Nakakapag-travel na rin ako sa iba’t ibang bansa,” she said.

(Back then, I would only have enough to buy a candy whenever I get my salary.  Now, I have a car, I have refurbished our house. I have also been travelling.) —KBK, GMA Integrated News