Filipino chef dies in Abu Dhabi, family appeals for help

  DUBAI – The family of a Filipino chef in Abu Dhabi has appealed for help to quickly repatriate his remains to the Philippines. Fidel Rodriguez Jr., 49, died on November 1 after spending 40 days at NMC Hospital in Abu Dhabi where he was treated for stage 4 kidney cancer. Rodriguez, an executive chef of a popular Filipino grilled chicken restaurant chain, was “in and out of the hospital” because of his condition, his 26-year-old daughter, Alexandra Rodriguez, told Expatmedia.net on Wednesday (November 4). Rodriguez is survived by his wife, Miriam, 46, and his three daughters, the youngest of which is 7 years old. His body is currently in the Central Morgue in Abu Dhabi as his family members in the capital coordinated with the Philippine Embassy for his immediate repatriation. The brother of the late Rodriguez, Dindo, said that they could not contact his brother's employer in Abu Dhabi for help and that their calls have repeatedly been ignored. “We just want to bring him home,” he said. Update: As of 5:12pm on Wednesday, five hours after publication of this story, Alexandra told Expatmedia.net that a representative from her father's employer had informed embassy officials that they would pay Dh6,000 for his repatriation. Read full update 

Filipino “Oki-doki”

“He was well loved by everyone, including his friends and workmates, because of his happy disposition. Ika nga walang masamang tinapay (As they say, no bad blood),” Alexandra told Expatmedia.net, describing her father. Rodriguez was fondly called “Oki-doki” by friends and colleagues and was described as a happy person who loved to dance as much as he loved cooking. “His cancer diagnosis came as a shock to everyone,” Alexandra said, adding that Rodriguez was confined in the hospital from September 23 until November 1. “He spent so much time there that the hospital staff already knew him,” she said. The 26-year-old had travelled from the Philippines to the UAE to take care of her father while he was in the hospital, arriving just in time to arrange a small post-birthday celebration in his hospital room on October 26. Rodriguez celebrated his last birthday on October 11. Rodriguez was surrounded by family during his hospital confinement. His cousin, Ginger, helped take care of him from arranging for his hospital treatment to keeping him company in the hospital. Meanwhile, his two sisters, Mhel and Felicitas, also flew in from the US and Canada to help take care of him, while his Abu Dhabi-based nephew, Darren, and his assistant chef, Rafael Nubla, kept him company at the hospital before the rest of the family members arrived. "My father helped train Nubla so he could get promoted from waiter to assistant chef. That was how kind my father was," Alexandra said. Filipino actor Aga Muhlach also obliged to a video message recording for Rodriguez, telling him to “hang in there, brother”, which his family said really inspired the Filipino expat despite his deteriorating condition. Alexandra said her father was diagnosed with metastatic, stage 4 kidney cancer, which meant that the cancer had already spread in his body. He died in the ICU of the hospital. “My best memory of him was when we got the chance to bond together with my sisters in the Philippines in 2017,” she said. Rodriguez left his hometown of Malolos, Bulacan in the Philippines to work as executive chef for the restaurant chain in Abu Dhabi that year. His last conversation with his daughter? “He asked me to drink cough medicine as I was coughing. Then he asked me to hold his hand and embrace him. I had no idea that was going to be the last time I would spend with him,” she said. Alexandra said she will honor her father’s memory by taking care of her younger siblings. "It was the first thing he told us when he learned he had cancer. He told us to take care of Fret and Cheska, my half-sisters," she said. “My last wish for him is may he rest in peace, always watch over us, and may he find forever happiness. He shouldn’t worry because I will always be there for my sisters no matter what happens,” she said. ICA/Expat Media ALSO READ Dubai Filipina who hid breast cancer from family returns home
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