Conversations

At four years old, Angelo Casimiro constructed his first light bulb switch. At 14, he built a “fighting” robot that won first place in a national robotics competition.

At 15 years old, he developed an electricity generating footwear that became a local winner and a regional f inalist at the 2014 Google Science Fair—a prestigious international competition for promising young scientists.

Now at 22 years old, Angelo has over a hundred science and engineering projects under his belt, ranging from water-powered calculator to portable solar powerbank. Many of these are posted as do-it-yourself tutorials on Instructables, YouTube, and TikTok, designed to inspire creativity and resourcefulness in other people.

On the verge of completing an engineering degree at the De La Salle University, Angelo dreams of contributing to the Philippines’ technological progress by forming his own research and development (R&D) company and developing cutting-edge technologies in the fields of renewable energy and transportation.

Like many teenagers who grew up with technology, Seng Rothsethamony, or Mony, finds her passion in the digital world. Mony majors in Global Affairs at the University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia but she is pursuing her interest in digital technology. Mony has participated in several coding and IT training programmes, including the ASEAN Digital Innovation Programme (ADIP), to better equip herself in the digital era.

In March 2020, Mony and her college friends established Bamnang Creative Innovation, a digital marketing company aiming to help business owners in Cambodia go digital.

Brothers Audrey Maximillian Herli and Audy Christopher Herli co-founded Riliv in 2015 to help improve mental health services in Indonesia. The application allows people struggling with mental health issues to talk to licensed mental health professionals online. Riliv also provides other digital therapies that are designed for people seeking wellness and peace of mind.

So far, Riliv has attracted more than 300,000 users and over 100,000 people have used its online counselling service. Maxi, who studied information systems at the University of Airlangga in Surabaya, Indonesia, and his brother made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2020 List. In 2017, Riliv was named the best sustainable start-up by a national newspaper and won in the Google Business Group Stories Search.

On 17 July 2020, Sean Luke Dado, his wife Hazel, their two daughters, and grandson fell ill and later tested positive for COVID-19. Another grandson was spared from the disease. In just 14 days, Sean lost his college sweetheart and wife of 29 years.

The ASEAN asked Sean questions about the unimaginable pain and loss COVID-19 caused his family. He chose to reply with a letter he wrote to his wife. Sean posts messages to Hazel on social media, sometimes sharing the mundane, happy events of the day, often talking about how the family tries to cope without her.

Hazel is one of at least 46,000 who have succumbed to COVID-19 in the ASEAN region. Sean agreed to tell his story because he says, “I think it’s important to connect faces and stories to all the numbers and statistics, so that people will remain aware that COVID-19 causes real and lasting human suffering.”

Indonesian Yudi Yastika and Filipina Riza Jurada first met on a cruise ship, Carnival Miracle, that sailed from Florida in the US to Mexico, Belize, Hawaii, Colombia, and other routes.

Riza and Yudi had been working on the cruise ship for three years before they finally met. They officially became a couple in August 2019 and it did not take long for them to decide to tie the knot.

The pandemic hit the cruise industry hard, and Riza had to fly home to Manila. Unable to work on board because of an accident, Yudi remained in Bali. Now, travel restrictions are keeping them apart, forcing them to hold off dreams of a wedding this year.

Flying the skies to nurturing the earth sums up Captain Nadira and Captain Abdul Rahman’s journey over the past few months.

Many employees in the aviation industry are still facing turbulent times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While boarding gates remain shut, this inspiring husband-wife team share their passion for flying and how they navigate life away from the cockpit.