NaDerang owner Liberty Samonte Galang. JONATHAN YBERA/EXPAT MEDIA

When Liberty Samonte Galang talks about her journey, you don’t just hear the story of a restaurant. You hear the story of survival, resilience, and faith. Behind the sizzling grill and aroma of homecooked Kapampangan dishes at NaDerang, Sharjah’s beloved Filipino restaurant, is a woman who has literally stared death in the face and came back stronger each time. Today, Liberty is the proud owner of NaDerang Restaurant, a family-run business that has captured the hearts (and appetites) of UAE residents craving authentic Filipino comfort food. But getting here was far from easy.

From athlete to survivor

Born in Pampanga and raised in Valenzuela, Liberty is the eldest of five siblings; a scholar and an athlete who excelled in table tennis and dance. “My mom was strict with my studies,” she recalls. “I wanted to be a good role model for my siblings.” Life took a difficult turn when her parents separated when she was just 17, pushing Liberty’s mother to seek work in the UAE. “She did everything — nanny, cashier, office girl — just to keep us afloat,” Liberty recalls. A year later, she followed her mother to Sharjah on a tourist visa, setting aside her nursing studies to help support the family. She worked her way through a variety of jobs — hotel receptionist, real estate agent, travel coordinator, and corporate trainer — until her health took a frightening turn. Then came the first brush with death. Shortly after getting married in 2011, Liberty began experiencing blackouts. “It started like a hangover,” she recalls. “Then I couldn’t walk straight. I’d faint without warning.” After collapsing at her desk one afternoon, she was rushed to the hospital. Doctors couldn’t find the cause. It wasn’t until she returned to the Philippines that an MRI revealed a 5cm lump at the base of her brain. “It was devastating. I didn’t know how to tell my husband or my mother,” Liberty recalls. Liberty underwent a complicated brain surgery. Miraculously, she survived without needing ICU care and returned to the UAE just 20 days later. “I still don’t know how I survived it,” she muses. But her battle wasn’t over. Years later, she would face recurring blackouts, Todd’s paralysis, and rare reaction called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which left 80 percent of her skin blistered and raw. “It felt like being burned alive,” she says softly. “That was the hardest part. My family thought I wouldn’t make it.” Yet through faith and sheer will, Liberty kept rising. “After facing life and death so many times, you start to see life differently. Every day is grace and a gift,” she says.

Birth of Naderang

In 2020, while covering for her sister on maternity leave from her job at a honey kiosk at the Sharjah Fish Market, Liberty noticed empty spaces available for rent. “The management was looking for Filipino food vendors because many Filipinos shopped there,” she recalls. Her mother, Brenda, a proud Kapampangan known for her culinary flair, jumped at the idea. “She cooked porridge, veggie okoy, cassava, puto, kutchinta. Everything was sold out by 11am!” Liberty laughs. “Even our customers started calling others to buy from us!” That humble fish market kiosk became the seed of NaDerang, the restaurant that would later define their family’s destiny. Today, NaDerang has grown into a full-fledged restaurant with two branches in Sharjah: one along King Faisal Road beside Lulu Hypermarket and another in Sahara Centre. NaDerang isn’t just Liberty’s dream; it’s her family’s shared purpose. Her husband is the head chef. Her mother runs the pastry section. Her father manages operations. Despite recurring health issues, Liberty continues to lead NaDerang with unstoppable faith. “When you’ve been through what I have, even pain feels like a gift,” she says. At NaDerang, affordability meets authenticity. For just Dh15, customers can enjoy two viands and rice — a hearty Filipino combo meal that has become a lunchtime favorite. Regulars swear by their kakanin, especially the Cassava Royal, Sapin-Sapin and Ube Halaya, all lovingly made by Liberty’s mom. “People tell us they don’t need to go to Dubai anymore to find real Filipino food,” Liberty says proudly. “That’s the biggest compliment.” At NaDerang, every dish tells her story, one of courage, healing, and hope served fresh every day. DDM/Expat Media

Quick fire questions

Your kitchen idol My mother! Celebrity you’d love to host Coco Martin, my second cousin! Your favorite dish Kare-Kare, of course. One ingredient you can’t live without Love. Go-to comfort food when stressed Anything my chef husband cooks! Your drink of choice Peach tea or cold coffee. Dessert you would recommend Cassava cake and leche flan. Weirdest customer request Sinigang, but not sour! UAE landmark that feels like home Lulu Hypermarket in Sharjah. Best thing about being a Filipino in UAE Endless opportunities and the Filipino community that uplifts you. If you weren’t a restaurateur... I’d be a full-time pastor or PE teacher. This story also appears in the Expat Media Special Edition magazine
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