Reminiscing the Yesteryears Working for the United Nations

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The photo above is 13 years ago with colleagues based in Cotabato city, when I was still working as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) staff for the World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations (UN).

Coming from an ICT reliever work at the International Labour Organization (ILO), also a UN organization, whenever their female ICT was on maternity leave.

The stint at ILO probably got me a favorable advantage to be employed full-time at WFP. ILO was responsible in letting me know about the vacancy and encouraged me to apply. I believe my performance at ILO was more than satisfying.

Working for WFP got me visiting Mindanao (our Cotabato, Iligan and Davao offices) very often since it was the site of our main operations due to the conflicts happening in Mindanao. Frequented Legazpi city too because we also had an office there, though only for a short time, to address a calamity concern. Since we were setting up all offices from scratch, I had every opportunity to learn how our system works from scratch.

WFP exposed me to working with diverse people from different nationalities. Our Country Director was American, our Logistics was from Korea, our Finance was from Myanmar, etc., and several.ICTs from different countries also made their way to the Philippines to help setup our ICT infrastructure.

It was also my first opportunity to go out of the country and receive training in Bangkok, Thailand where our regional headquarters is located.

The organization was not perfect but it was among the ones that gave me the best learning experience because I was involved in most aspects necessary to fulfill my duty. From liasing with government agencies to get permits for our radios, tower antennas, satellite phones and dish, to the procurement of our workstations, servers, and other ICT equipment sourced from both abroad and locally, to preparing yearly budget plans for ICT upgrades and maintenance.

The Nas Daily and Wil Dasovich Podcast Reaction

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Nuseir Yassin aka "Nas" is an Israeli-Arab video blogger who created 1,000 daily 1-minute videos on Facebook, when most were doing it on YouTube. He formerly set office in the Philippines with his team and engaged extensively with Pinoys knowing we are one of the most active on social media, especially on FB. He currently operates the Nas Daily Corporation, a video production company that uploads weekly videos. Now he creates longer videos, and even a podcast.

Medyo hindi ginusto ni Nas ang mga write-ups about his podcast with Wil. He posted a message on his page discouraging us to use their discussion for our vested interests....

"Dear Philippines,

It’s me again! I want to correct something.

Recently, I announced an episode of my new podcast "Nas Talks" with Wil Dasovich. It was a very fun episode.

But sadly, it’s being taken out of context in some online articles, and it pains me to see that.

Wil and I are good friends. The podcast was very friendly. But when you write it down in text or an article, it looks like it was all serious and grumpy. It wasn’t.

I don’t want anyone to use this podcast or my conversation with Wil to further anyone’s political ambitions or use it against Wil. We are both trying to figure out what to do with social media. It’s a whole new world for both of us. And we’re doing our BEST to make it a NET POSITIVE to the world.

Everyone has a different way of achieving their goals. And we have to respect that.

If you want to form an opinion, I would advise you to do it not based on quotes, but based on research. Luckily, Wil and I spoke for 1 hour - so after listening to the whole thing, you should make an informed opinion.

Thank you so much for your continued support! I hope this clears things up :)

Full Episode here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3QxddLkMugtNSMo6voreUw?si=sak97GUTQQGZRkV8zBCCiA"

Hhhmm, sounds like the makings of a controversy to get more people curious...hehehe. And are we falling for it again....hahaha!

Na meet ko na si Wil Dasovich with his sister sa isang event, but never asked for any photo ops with them. Nakaks intimidate kasi dahil baka Englishin ako ay mali-mali grammar na maisagot ko...hahaha. The two kasi are the typical Fil-Ams who know they look and sound different, and use those facts to their advantage.

Pero kay Nas, pinuntahan ko mismo yung launch ng app niya sa MOA...daming pumunta...nakasama pa kami sa 1 minute vlog niya.

Kay Nas kasi ay edited talaga mga videos niya at daming effort - aerial drone shots, text graphics inclusions, putting other people in the limelight too, concised and informative info given within the 1 minute video, and that iconic shout-out of "that's 1 minute! see you tomorrow! (sounds familiar?).

Maybe because he has a team working for him. Now he does longer videos but never a dull moment because he kept the formula except for the length of his videos.

They most probably know SEO and other strategies to boost their online presence. But the Philippines really is one of the most active on social media thus the reason why they have a lot of content targeting Pinoys....and of course, we love when foreigners elevate us and the Philippines, thus a lot of other vloggers also make sure they do the same. We are equally curious of what foreigners think about us, and would always give us that pleasant feeling inside, and a smile, everytime we are appreciated.

Nas' videos are like documentaries kasi. They are focused more on a single topic, could be a person or place, and other interesting matters, rather than just himself. That is one of the key ingredients of his videos that elevates them from the rest na mas maraming "pabebe" kaysa significant info.

Filipino Rotaractors raise funds for COVID-19 test kits

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ignited by the eagerness to extend humanitarian aid during this COVID-19 pandemic, the Pilipinas Rotaract Convention 2021 Organizing Committee, mainly composed of Rotaractors from Rotary International District 3770, in partnership with the Pilipinas Rotaract Multi-District Information Organization, conducted a fundraising campaign entitled Project #SAMPU Sama-Sama sa Mas Pinatibay na Ugnayan Laban sa COVID-19 from April 14-27, 2020.

The campaign aimed to raise an amount of Php 160,700 to purchase 100 GenAmplify™ COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kits in support of the mass testing program. GenAmplify™ COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit is the low-cost test kit invented locally by a team of scientists from the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health, the Philippine Genome Center, and the Manila HealthTek, Inc.

With humble hopes of purchasing only 100 COVID-19 Testing Kits, the donation drive surpassed its target in just four days after the launch of the campaign. This was through the ripple effects of donations coming not just from Filipino Rotaractors but also from Rotarians and even family and friends outside of Rotary. At the end of the campaign last April 27, the team was able to raise Php 259,484 which funded the production of 161 COVID-19 test kits turned over to the University of the Philippines – National Institutes of Health last July 6, 2020. The donations came from 73 Rotaract Clubs, 4 Rotary Clubs and other donor groups and individuals across the country. 

Pilipinas MDIO is a Rotary international-recognized organization which aims at strengthening the Rotaract movement in the country. It is run by the District Rotaract Representatives and chaired by an elected Past DRR from a member district. Its programs and services are administered by a team of volunteer past club and district Rotaract leaders across the country. One of the core purposes of the MDIO is to promote multi-district service projects such as this fundraising campaign for COVID-19 test kits.

161 PCR COVID-19 test kits donated by Filipino Rotaractors to UP National Institutes of Health testing center

Turnover of COVID-19 test kits donation of Pilipinas Rotaract MDIO represented by Chair Louie De Real and Chair-Elect Manuel Joseph Franco (sixth and seventh from the left) to UP National Institutes of Health represented by Dr. Karen Sotalbo (fifth from the left)

Thank you marker to Pilipinas Rotaract MDIO posted by UP National Institutes of Health in their COVID-19 task force center