Filipina domestic worker receives car from employer in UAE as Christmas gift

A very lucky Filipina nanny who was gifted a house by her Emirati employer in 2017 received another present from her this year – a car.

According to The Filipino Times, Dina Tenerife Celo, a 47-year-old domestic help in Abu Dhabi, received a car from her employer at the start of 2019. Her employer Melissa McPike, an American married to an Emirati, gave her the car so that Celo can visit her son, who also lives in the UAE.

In Filipino, Celo narrates: “She (Ms. McPike) always sees me chasing after the bus to visit my son who lives in another part of the country. It normally takes me two bus rides to pay him a visit which can prove to be tiresome. I am very thankful for this present.”

She further adds that a bus re-routing took place in December which made her trips longer. “What used to be two bus rides now turned into five,” she said.

That is why Celo was surprised when McPike told her that she will no longer take the bus. “I was surprised when Madam Missa told me: “After two weeks, no more bus.” Two weeks later, McPike gifted Celo a second-hand vehicle which she even took out for a simple celebration which took place last week.

This wasn’t the first time Celo received such gifts from her employer. In 2017, we have published that McPike gifted her Dh23,000 to purchase a plot in Camarines Sur, Philippines. On top of that, the Emirati employer also financed the construction of a two-bedroom house. Check out the story here – https://www.juaninoman.com/filipina-gifted-emirati-employer/

In the same report, McPike told Khaleej Times, “It was the least she could do for Celo by helping her own her dream home. We do not consider her as an employee. She is one of our family. She has done so much for me and my children when they were young. I wanted to give back something to her,” said McPike.

Apart from a car, Celo said she also received Christmas presents from McPike and her sons Saeed and Saif.