Conversations

For human resources consultant Paul Nyan Myint Soe, the COVID-19 pandemic means chaos and disaster.

The 43-year-old business director was diagnosed with COVID-19 in October, and from his quarantine room, he learned how the virus caused him and his family a great loss.

Jonas Elmer Balneg studied nursing because his mother was a nurse too. The Philippines is one of the major sources of nurses globally.

Many like Jonas take up nursing with hopes of landing an overseas job. His plan was to work in the country for two to three years and move abroad, but Jonas has chosen to stay for now.

He has worked for almost a decade at one of the Philippines’s largest public hospitals, where he says he is earning a comfortable living. Jonas talks about the health workers’ fears when reports about a new coronavirus first broke, the uncertainty of handling patients, and the important role nurses play in a health emergency.

When Super Typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) struck the Philippines on 7 November 2013, Rowel Balais and his family hunkered down in their home in the town of Palo, Leyte province. Along with Tacloban city, it was one of the hardest hit areas by the deadly typhoon. Haiyan affected 16 million people and killed over 7,000.

Rangi Sudrajat dreamed of being a humanitarian worker since she was a young girl. She decided to pursue a path of helping the less fortunate, after watching the news about refugees affected by the Kosovo war.

At just 21 years old, Louise Mabulo is an awardwinning chef, farmer, and public speaker. Her culinary career started after joining the Philippine version of the popular tv show, “Junior Master Chef.”

William Wongso has been in the food industry for more than four decades. But slowing down never once crossed his mind.