Episode 12: Ayen Dela Torre

"Where to Next?"

Do you have those conversations with people where right after the conversation you have to go to someone else and say "you have to listen to what we just talked about!" Well this conversation with Ayen was one of those incredible conversations! She is without a doubt someone who is wise beyond her years and incredibly insightful about the situation we find ourselves in today both for the COVID19 Pandemic as well as the Duterte administration. She is the co-founder of Where to Next an online community of travelers that shares inspiring stories on their platforms together with Rachel Halili-Aquino they created a platform not about themselves but about people's travels across our beautiful country, the Philippines and the world.

I hired them to do the campaign video for our Cordillera Mountain Ultra in 2017 and that was the first time i discovered this incredibly talented and insightful group of young Filipinos! The content they created for us went on to be some of the most viewed videos we had produced and i credit them for the vision and execution of that campaign. I really believe that young people should get more seats at the table for everything and they made me realize more than anything that they had so much to contribute to the conversation!

She also comes from an activist family, her father, former priest Ed dela Torre was a an activist that fought for farmers rights and land reform in the 70s and was jailed for 9 years under the corrupt fascist Marcos Regime and met her mother a fellow activist and political detainee in Jail. She shares some of his words in the podcast i suggest you do miss out on those words they are extremely powerful!

But that's enough words i think like i said in the beginning of the podcast this was a conversation i couldn't wait to share -because the voices you will hear today are important and it is important that you listen.

You can find Ayen on the following platforms:

Website: www.wheretonext.ph

Instagram: @wtn_wheretonext instagram.com/wtn_wheretonext

Instagram: @ayenonlife

Facebook: fb.com/wheretonextph

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Welcome the Wildcast Trailer!

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On Episode 11 of the Wildcast i talk to Steve Rogers in Sagada about his life in the Philippines. It is an interesting conversation that jumps from the streets of Manila during the EDSA revolution seeing the first tanks stopping in front of protesters to working on Hollywood movies like Platoon with stars like William Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, and Johnnie Depp and of course we get on to the adventure side of things chatting about whitewater kayaking in the Cordilleras and Mountain Biking in Sagada. In this discussion we also explore the ever changing landscape of community and development in Sagada and the Mountain Province how communities have adapted to changing times and changing economies and how culture is not a static image you see in history books but a living evolving process that communities and landscapes go through.

I enjoyed this conversation and hope to be able to visit him soon and get on that kayaking trip we've been planning for so long now. Here's Steve's interesting life.

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We are working towards making the Wildcast more sustainable by creating avenues where listeners can help us continue to provide you all with these amazing conversations so you can show your support for the Wildcast by buying us a coffee through www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast. This helps us invest in better equipment, allow us to host the podcast online, and create better content for all of you listeners.

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The Wildcast Episode 10

Hana Raza Conservation Warrior of Iraqi Kurdistan

I met Hana in 2013 as a member of the US International Visitor Leadership program- this is a program that of the US government for emerging leaders around the world. She has the distinction of being one of the first people to rediscover the Persian Leopard in Iraq, an animal thought to have been extinct in most of Persia. She is Kurdish Iraqi and she discusses the life she and her family has lived growing up in a country of constant war. She was born in a Peshmarga camp and as a baby was a victim of chemical weapons dropped on that camp by Saddam Hussein's government -she still bears the scars from that episode of her life. It is hard to imagine the difficulty of the work that she does here in a conflict zone where as a Muslim woman it is not in their culture to be doing the work that she does not to mention having to navigate actual mine fields and civil war, and still having to find the time to write grants to keep the work going. Listen to her story and feel her passion through her own words. She is someone i've looked up to as an inspirational person from the very first time i met her and that continues even more so today.

You can find Hana on the following social channels:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hana.A.Raza

Instagram: @hanaraza

Twitter: @HanaRaza

You can also find more about her work at:

Website Nature Iraq: http://www.natureiraq.org/persian-leopard-conservation.html

Youtube:

https://youtu.be/VL3CPek3as0

https://youtu.be/X7IDEE-R--Y

https://vimeo.com/187361230

The Wildcast Episode 9: Laurel Chor

Laurel is a Hong Kong native, a journalist, and fellow National Geographic Explorer. On this week's episode i talk to her about what is currently happening in Hong Kong with the Chinese government's imposition of the security law and the effect of this on civil liberties, human rights, and her own field of journalism. We chat about the difficulty working as a Journalist in this modern age of trolls and online harassment -last year one IG post of hers got over 1000+ comments of hate from online trolls. Hong Kong is a lesson for the world on how powerful China will treat the rest of the world and even more poignant for countries like the Philippines that have leaned into Chinese influence. We also chat about being a part of the Nat Geo Explorer family and the opportunities this has brought both of us and how we are incredibly privileged to be a part of this talented passionate group of individuals from across the globe and the knowledge sharing this has allowed.

Laurel is an incredibly accomplished journalist, she has worked for Vice News as a producer for Asia and her photography and writing has come out in the New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent, National Geographic, Bloomberg, The Washington Post and many others. She has been at the forefront of the news not only in Hong Kong but also covering stories like the Rohingya in Myanmar, the Impeachment of South Korea's President, Migration in China and even the lack of Divorce in the Philippines.

Do you remember that now iconic photo of an old lady with a cane in HK standing up and screaming at the police in full riot gear? -That was shot by Laurel. Here is her story.

You can find her on:

Instagram: @laurelchor

Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/laurelchorphotography/

Website: http://www.laurelchor.com/

Her reading list:

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina

The Wildcast Episode 8: Paco Guerrero Photography and Philippine Tourism

Paco is a photographer. If anything that is probably the best way to describe him. He has been creating beautiful images since he was 12 years old. He is a Spanish-Filipino Travel and Commercial Photographer who has lived in many around Asia and Europe. He has shot for Conde Nast Travel, National Geographic Travel, Grid Magazine, Smile Magazine, and if you walk into any Peninsula in the world there is a big chance you will see some of his work not to mention the "Its more Fun in the Philippines Tourism Campaign you'll see some of his photos on subways and buses from London to New York. He is one of the founding members of GRID Magazine -one of my favorite if not my favorite Filipino Magazine. He talks to me about his life growing up with a hotelier father moving around to different cities in Asia including my own city of Baguio where his father once worked for the Pines Hotel where SM Baguio now stands. We talk about his life of photography where he started and how he started, the opportunities that led him to where he is today. I once spent 10 days traveling with Paco for the Grid Expedition going to different beautiful spots in the Cordillera region and he is someone who is always ON as a photographer -he does not put his camera down because the shoot is done, we drove for hours everyday and you could see him scanning the road and landscape for that next great shot, it is this passion that has made him one of the most sought after in his industry. We also talk about Philippine Tourism and how we will all rise from this Pandemic as Filipinos. This is his story.

You can find Paco on the following channels:

Website: https://www.francisco-guerrero.com/

Instagram: @studioguerrero

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franciscoguerrerophotography/

SHELTERFUND: https://www.shelterfund.ph/

SHELTERFUND INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/shelterfund/

GRID MAGAZINE: https://www.instagram.com/gridmagazineph/

GRID MAGAZINE: https://gridmagazine.ph/story/strange-time-for-travel/

Paco's Portrait by Carmen del Prado

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We are working towards making the Wildcast more sustainable by creating avenues where listeners can help us continue to provide you all with these amazing conversations so you can show your support for the Wildcast by buying us a coffee through www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast. This helps us invest in better equipment, allow us to host the podcast online, and create better content for all of you listeners.

SUPPORT THE WILDCAST BY BUYING US A COFFEE:

www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast

The Wildcast Episode 7:

Manix Abrera talks about Kikomachine Comics

**99% of this episode is in Filipino/Tagalog

This week's podcast i talk to Manix Abrera one of the foremost comic artists in the Philippines. His comic strip Kikomachine Comics which appears in the Inquirer is a strip i have been following for the last 20 years. We talk on the podcast about his journey in the comic book business, cycling, and growing up in the shadow of his father, Jess Abrera who is also a comic artist known for his strip 'A. Lipin'

We talk about his inspirations for his work, how the current pandemic and political situation has been fodder for the stories that he has been writing and how we all seem to be living in a comic strip ourselves in these strange times.

Have a listen to this interesting conversation.

Episode 6 of the Wildcast with Jim Ward

This is a special episode of the Wildcast with a very good friend i have known for most of my adult life. Jim is one of the people who has seen me grow through the years from my college days in UP all the way to where i am today. He once owned Bliss Cafe a vegetarian cafe and art space in Baguio city -and a haven for people like myself who was always the odd person in the room he made a space where when you walk in you are with many other odd people creating something wonderful.

We chat about his early years as a young GI in Asia -he came to Asia at 18 enlisted in the army like many young Americans and decided to stay. He has seen the growth of China, Taiwan and South East Asia. Worked as a corporate big boss for the largest logistics firms across the region and ended up in Baguio. For the almost 20 years i have known him he has been one of the most insightful voices i have had the privilege of listening to and has had a tremendous impact on my life. In the last 2 months he has been on the frontlines organizing bicycle transport for our frontliners in Baguio and La Trinidad sharing his passion for cycling to those that work on the frontlines of COVID19. Listen to our conversation, it really only scratches the surface of the amazing life that he has lived and is still living today.

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We are working towards making the Wildcast more sustainable by creating avenues where listeners can help us continue to provide you all with these amazing conversations so you can show your support for the Wildcast by buying us a coffee through www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast. This helps us invest in better equipment, allow us to host the podcast online, and create better content for all of you listeners.

SUPPORT THE WILDCAST BY BUYING US A COFFEE:

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The Wildcast Episode 5

On episode 5 of The Wildcast I talk to Michelle Barretto CEO and Founder of Vitamin B Inc. (https://vitaminb-brands.com/) a branding agency that specializes in building and elevating brands through insightful brand strategy, brand design and brand experience.

They are responsible for the creation of brands such as Alveo Land, The Mind Museum, Liter of Light and serve clients such as AECOM, Artha Land, and our little foundation in the mountains the Cordillera Conservation Trust.

In this episode of the Wildcast we talk about the opportunities that have been created due to the pandemic, how businesses should adapt to this new reality, who has done it right and the need for us to be brave in advertising and building our brands, and why we need to use design thinking in solving the problems of society.

We also talk about their current Pandemic Project the Medijeep which they developed the entire system to provide patient transport for non-covid patients during this time -seeing the gap in the services for these people. It is now being implemented in both Mandaluyong and Quezon City and is open source to all LGUs who wish to use the same system.

One interesting portion of the conversation she tells us about her dream project of solving single use plastic in the Philippines through designing a management systems solution and she says the system can solve it in 2-3 years!

Michelle is one of the smartest and most insightful people i know and she shares with us in this episode so much of her vast experience over her career and little tidbits of her life that can make all of us better.

Books she is currently reading: Tools for Titans by Tim Ferris

Her reading list includes:

Inc.com

Fast Company

New York Times

The New Yorker

She listens to a lot of Tony Robbins

You can find her on Instagram: @michelle2373

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We are working towards making the Wildcast more sustainable by creating avenues where listeners can help us continue to provide you all with these amazing conversations so you can show your support for the Wildcast by buying us a coffee through www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast. This helps us invest in better equipment, allow us to host the podcast online, and create better content for all of you listeners.

SUPPORT THE WILDCAST BY BUYING US A COFFEE:

www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast

Welcome to Episode 4 of the Wildcast Quarantine Chronicles

Our guest today is Doctor Nina Beltran-Yap Pulmonary Specialist, Triathlete, Aspiring Writer, and she talks about life on the frontlines treating COVID19 patients.

Incredibly interesting discussion and she goes deep into her clinical practice now treating COVID19 critical patients. She discusses how she at one point in the last month has had to make life or death decisions in treating her very own mentor who was afflicted by this virus and why we should be counting clinical diagnosis of COVID19 rather than just the laboratory tested patients. At one point in the discussion she opined that she wanted to get infected just to be able to move on, get the antibodies and be marked safe from the virus and the need for us to use the time in quarantine not only to prepare the healthcare system but also to prepare our bodies for infection -because at some point we will all be infected just a matter of when.

Lastly she discusses something close to my heart boosting our immune system through interaction with nature and since we are releasing this on earth day i feel it is an important message for all. Nature heals -literally.

Enjoy i hope you learn as much as i did with this conversation with Doc Nina.

You can find her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nina.beltran

Instagram: @ninayninay

Currently she is reading a Trip to Quiapo by Ricky Lee and recommends "Rashōmon" (羅生門) is a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

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We are working towards making the Wildcast more sustainable by creating avenues where listeners can help us continue to provide you all with these amazing conversations so you can show your support for the Wildcast by buying us a coffee through www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast. This helps us invest in better equipment, allow us to host the podcast online, and create better content for all of you listeners.

SUPPORT THE WILDCAST BY BUYING US A COFFEE:

www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast