Positively Filipinos – in China
Kahlil Fredrick Ermac Cui
From Cebu to Sichuan, Kahlil Fredrick Ermac Cui, 32, first came to China to pursue his PhD in Geotechnical Engineering at the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMHE-CAS).
The Cebu native was exploring scholarship opportunities after securing his master’s degree in Physics at the University of San Carlos, Cebu. His advisor suggested he look into research opportunities in China. After a series of interviews, he eventually qualified for the prestigious CAS-TWAS President’s Fellowship, granted to only 200 students around the world every year.
Kahlil Fredrick Ermac Cui
He took part in research, lectures, and field trips on his way to obtaining his doctorate.
“I have now published more than 20 peer-reviewed research papers and have presented my work in multiple meetings and conferences in China and abroad. I am also involved in multiple research collaborations with colleagues from Germany, Italy, and Nepal,” he said.
For the past three years, Kahlil has been serving as an Assistant Professor in his field at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Chengdu. During this time, he has been awarded the Young International Researchers Fund by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) as Principal Investigator, with one patented invention.
Jensen Moreno
Artist Jensen Moreno found her niche in China, but only after a short detour.
Jensen Moreno
Graduating with a fine arts and design degree in 2006, Jensen taught at a university in Manila before moving to Vietnam in 2011 to be with her mother. There, she found herself working at a garment factory where her mother was a supervisor.
Realizing she was not in the right place, she sought refuge in art; walking around Ho Chi Minh and exploring art galleries. She met a Malaysian artist who also operated a gallery that offered art classes. Jensen taught art there and held her first solo exhibit that same year.
Jensen left Vietnam in 2013 for a teaching position at an international school in Guangdong. One year later, she moved to Beijing.
Jensen now divides her time between teaching, holding exhibitions, and caring for her Beijing-based family.
Through the countless exhibits she has held in China the past 11 years, Jensen has been presenting the Philippines to Chinese audiences.
One of her works is a portrait of a farm girl, an image that reminds her of her childhood in rural Bataan. She also has a painting of paella, with shrimps prominently featured, as a reminder of her years growing up close to the sea.
Moreno’s painting of paella.
Jensen wants to bring art closer to the people. Her most recent venture was a solo exhibition titled Rhythm of Life, held at a spa in Beijing, because, in her words, “not everyone goes to galleries.”
Charmaine Paula Magbuhos
Charmaine Magbuhos decided to move abroad two years after earning her management degree in 2015.
“I had always been fascinated by the idea of living and working outside my comfort zone, so when the opportunity in China arose, I knew I couldn’t pass it up,” she said.
In 2017, she moved to Beijing to take up a project management position.
“The thought of immersing myself in a new culture, learning the language, and adapting to a different way of life was both thrilling and daunting,” she intoned.
Charmaine Paula Magbuhos
In 2021, she decided to pursue a master's degree in Global Business Journalism at Tsinghua University. Char saw this as an opportunity to not only further her career, but also gain more insights into China. She is now an active vlogger on social media posting about her life there.
For Char, working, living, and studying in China has broadened her perspective and deepened her understanding of the culture and people – perspectives and understanding that she now shares through her social media account @charmagbuhos.
Rodrigo Camposagrado
Rodrigo Camposagrado
Call him a “(hotel) pre-opening expert.”
Rodrigo Camposagrado, 68, came to China in January 1988 when he was sent by the Manila Hotel as part of the pre-opening team for the Palace Hotel Beijing, a joint project by China and the Philippines.
After completing his two-year contract in the Palace Hotel, Rod joined the Shangri-la China World Hotel as pre-opening Bar & Restaurants Manager. He then worked for 15 different international hotels and free-standing bars and restaurants in Beijing.
Rod, now based in Beijing, considers the Chinese capital as his second home – a place that gave him the opportunity to train and develop the local talents to excel in the hospitality profession.
He also helped the local staff to learn the English language, which was part of their daily training sessions. He finds satisfaction in the upward mobility of his trainees.
“I am very happy to see my students and trainees that are now working as hotel general managers and successful entrepreneurs. A few have even become CEOs of Fortune 500 companies in China,” he said.
Dr. Lorela Cortez-Dy
Dr. Lorela Cortez-Dy
One of Beijing’s favorite “pedia” is a Filipina.
Pediatrician Dr. Lorela Cortez-Dy, a Las Piñas City native, earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Medicine.
Dr. Dy first went to China in 2012 as a volunteer doctor for Operation Smile Philippines which offered free cleft lip and cleft palate surgery for children. That trip was in Southwestern Kunming City. She never imagined she would be back in China years later to start a new chapter of her career.
In March 2018, she received a message from LinkedIn that a hospital in Shanghai needed a foreign pediatrician. Following her interview, she signed her contract. At the end of 2018, she moved to Shanghai with her husband, Giovanni, to celebrate the new year and their new beginnings.
She has been a practicing pediatrician in China for almost six years now – five years in Shanghai and 10 months in Beijing.
She had worked at Shanghai Redleaf International Women's and Children's Hospital, St. Michael Hospital, and Fullerton Health (now AM-Sino Lejing Clinic), serving the expatriate and Filipino communities in Shanghai. In 2023, Vista Medical Center in Beijing opened a door for her.
Dr. Dy said moving to China provided her career growth, citing the advanced technology that allows her to give more specific diagnosis and provide an efficient disease management approach.
Ducathy Louise Puno
Study engineering in Sichuan? Why not.
South Cotabato native Ducathy Louise Puno first went to China in 2016 -- her first trip out of the Philippines -- to visit her parents who were working as teachers in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province. During her lay-over in Shanghai Pudong airport, she was quickly impressed with China’s infrastructure and modern living. She knew then she wanted to stay there in the future.
She made another trip during the summer of 2019 after graduating from senior high school in General Santos City. This time, her family urged her to apply to universities in China.
Ducathy is the first Filipino admitted into the School of Software Engineering in Sichuan University in 2019. It gives her not just pride in representing the Philippines, but also the honor and privilege to be studying alongside outstanding Chinese and overseas students, and learning from her professors.
Ducathy Louise Puno
Ducathy is now in her second and final year for a master’s degree.
“I’ve had such a fruitful experience here that I’ve been able to convince my husband, Raymond (Recto Puno), who had just earned his University of the Philippines degree, to join me here, ” she said.
Raymond is now pursuing an MS degree in Engineering Management in Sichuan University, alongside Ducathy.
Several Years of People-to-People Exchanges
The Philippines and China will be celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2025. As we prepare for this milestone year, we celebrate the triumphs of Filipino nationals there.
These stories replicate some of the people-to-people exchanges that have taken place through the years. These are the kind of ties that bind our two countries tightly together.
Jaime A. FlorCruz is the current Philippine Ambassador to China.
More articles from Jaime FlorCruz
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