OFW who lost job, closed his bank account now rocking Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A 31-year-old Caviteño engineer who sold all his belongings and closed his bank account after losing his job years ago, is now rocking this city’s thriving Filipino band scene.

Ryan Joe Panganiban Parpan, who also was among the pioneers of a growing indie short film industry in the Filipino community here, looks like he has it all in spades, recently opening a start-up events management business with his team. 

Parpan said he managed to turn his life around by getting out of his comfort zone and doing what he’s passionate about. 

Jobless for months

So far, things look promising, a stark contrast six years ago in 2018 when a 25-year-old Parpan, who had just been in Dubai for three years working as a draftsman, lost a good paying job to a global stock market crash that affected economies around the world and caused companies to go on a frenzied firing mode to survive the crisis’ financial onslaught.

“Ilang buwan din na nabakante ako and dumating sa point na yung mga naipundar kong gamit ay naibenta ko. Pina-withdraw ko rin yung savings account ko sa Pinas just to survive,” Parpan recalled.

(I was jobless for months to the point where I sold everything I had and withdrew my savings account in the Philippines.)

He said he was so close to going home, thanks to his big brother and close friends who managed to bail him out and found work for him.

“But it's not easy at first because I had to start from scratch and take a salary that was less than half of what I used to get during my first job,” Parpan said. 

Gigs 

Parpan stayed the course till a glimmer of hope came beaming from his first love: music, where he is master of his domain.

He started doing gigs with a band. And things got better each day. 

“Nakakilala at naka-jam po namin ang iba’t ibang musikero na based din dito sa Dubai, Pilipino man o ibang lahi. Nakapag-front act din sa mga sikat na banda na galing Pilipinas,” he said.

(We met and jammed with different Dubai-based musicians, Filipinos and other nationalities. We’ve also done opening acts for popular bands from the Philippines.)

Parpan’s musical journey started out when he was eight with a ukulele that his parents bought for him. He studied how to play the guitar when he was 12.

He was with a band during his college days at Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Maragondon, Cavite campus taking up electrical engineering. Playing at school events, Parpan co-founded Musikolar, which is active today with a Facebook page having 2,500 followers.

‘Session musician’

Parpan, who calls himself a “mere session musician,” an understatement by his peers’ account, plays the guitar, bass, keyboards, piano, even the drums.

He is currently with three bands doing separate gigs, aside from being the go-to guy when a group needs one more member for a gig.

“I started po with rock music, but eventually I enjoyed listening and playing every genre,” said Parpan, whose influences include the Eagles, Bee Gees, Pink Floyd, Wolfgang, The Dawn, Rivermaya, Parokya ni Edgar and Eraserheads.

Indie film

On the short film music production and acting side, Parpan was among the first members of a Dubai-based, all-Filipino indie film outfit, Tbon (The Bill Out Night) Production in 2018 and has done countless titles.

Among those that have gone trending were a story about a handicapped husband – which he portrayed – abandoned by his spouse; a job applicant rejected for lack of educational background; and an electrician doing peeping tom stuff from the ceiling.

Hailing from Naic, Parpan also was musical producer of “Love in Disguise,” a 2024 romantic comedy shot in Dubai and starred by Daniel Matsunaga and a local Filipina talent, Gerryl Gaid. 

Comfort zone

Indeed, Parpan has his hands full: day job as engineer, acting, gigs with the bands and the start-up events business, which by itself, is a very competitive field in this city that never has a dull moment.

“Pero sa kabila po ng hirap at pagsubok, it is fulfilling and masaya po ako sa ginagawa ko. I hope na ma-inspire ang ibang tao lalo na ang mga kapwa ko Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) na wag matakot lumabas sa kanilang comfort zones at gawin ang passion nila,” Parpan said.

(But it is fulfilling and I’m happy with what I do despite the difficulties and challenges. I hope to inspire people, especially my fellow OFWs, to not be afraid to get out of their comfort zones and follow their passions.) —KBK, GMA Integrated News