Being a virtual assistant (VA) is now the dream job for most Filipinos, according to a new Remitly study. As one of the growing professions in the remote work sector, VA work has given Filipinos greater access to international job opportunities.

Across the Philippines, a growing workforce of remote professionals is serving overseas clients from laid-back hubs like Bohol and El Nido. But behind the flexibility lies a tough reality: social isolation, job insecurity, and zero employee benefits.

In this episode, Howie Severino talks to Maria Sucgang, a millennial CEO pioneering a model that networks freelancers to provide the safety nets that foreign employers don’t give. They discuss the potential to keep talent in the provinces, reducing the need for foreign migration, and whether AI threatens the future of remote work.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Nakagaganda ng buhay ang may alam."

Viral content creator, University of the Philippines Los Baños professor, and forester Ethan Hernandez shares his journey from overcoming poverty, including sleeping in an abandoned train station, to becoming a leading voice for environmental literacy.

Ethan tells Howie Severino how he developed his distinct animated style of storytelling, including incorporating the scientific names of trees in familiar songs.

With over 1.3 million followers, he goes beyond science education to shape public opinion on critical environmental issues such as mining, deforestation, and Pax Silica.

He talks about training the next generation of science content creators as a vital strategy to combat the plague of online disinformation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of sensitive topics that may be harmful or disturbing to some. Audience discretion is advised.

Recent school shootings in Tacloban and Zamboanga — occurring just two months apart — have sparked national soul-searching and heavy speculation over what drives teenagers to commit deadly acts.

While popular video games are often blamed, psychologist and crisis response specialist AJ Sunglao urges investigators to look instead at extremist online networks where vulnerable youth are radicalized to inflict harm.

Sunglao emphasizes that while these toxic online communities exist globally, school shootings occur primarily in countries with widespread firearm availability, especially the United States which leads the world by far in mass shootings.

In both Tacloban and Zamboanga, the teenage shooters accessed unsecured weapons owned by family members or acquaintances.

Declaring that student-led shootings have "wrecked our sense of normalcy" (“nawarak ang normalcy"), Sunglao stresses the urgent need for school administrators and teachers to build a "new normal." This requires creating safe, supportive learning environments, even in unaffected schools where student anxiety remains high. Furthermore, he cautions against placing blame on youths, urging adults to take greater responsibility for protecting and guiding minors.

Compounding this collective trauma, Sunglao warns, is the viral circulation of crime scene footage by content creators unbound by rules or ethics guidelines. He urges platforms and creators to remove these videos to allow communities to properly heal.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.