PEMSEA welcomes new staff for the EAS Congress 2018

From left to right: Ms. Connie Pura, Ms. Joyce Paigao, Ms. Janine Galang, Ms. Julia Guerrero, and Mr. Thomas Bell.

 

Quezon City, Philippines — PEMSEA would like to welcome Ms. Connie Pura, Ms. Joyce Paigao, Ms. Janine Galang, Ms. Julia Guerrero, and Mr. Thomas Bell to the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF). With the East Asian Seas Congress 2018 in Iloilo, Philippines, coming this November, we’re glad to have these new PRF team members to ensure everything runs smoothly.

 

Ms. Connie Pura has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of the City of Manila. Her previous experience includes working for the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council as Hotel Coordinator and handling all ASEAN-related matters that needed to be coordinated with hotel representatives, while arranging and conducting ocular inspections of hotels and other venues to ensure that accredited facilities would be appropriate partners of ASEAN. She will use this experience in PEMSEA by providing program and logistics support to the EAS Congress. A licensed psychometrician, Ms. Pura nonetheless claims she cannot read minds.

 

Ms. Almary Joyce E. Paigao has a Bachelor’s in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Previously working as a freelance researcher, she has been involved in various development-orientated projects specializing in community-based participatory approaches. At PEMSEA, she forms a key part of the Fifth EAS Youth Forum team as the Assistant Coordinator, while also working on knowledge products for the PRDP-GEF-PEMSEA IKM Portal. A kid at heart who maintains her sense of adventure, Ms. Paigao aspires to a life of travel and exploration.

 

Ms. Janine Galang has a Political Science degree with a Major in International Relations and Foreign Service from the University of San Carlos. After Typhoon Haiyan, she interned with Habitat for Humanity Philippines’ Disaster Response Team. Previously she was Delegation Coordinator of the APEC Secretariat and Spouse Liaison Officer for the Singaporean Prime Minister during the 2015 APEC Conference in Manila, before joining the Office of the President as the Liaison Officer Coordinator and Focal Contact Person to the United Nations for the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council. As EAS Congress Exhibit Sub-Coordinator and Ministerial Forum Support, she will aid PEMSEA in developing its Exhibit program and assisting in preparing the Ministerial Forum. Unwilling to settle for everyday meals, Ms. Galang likes to experiment with cooking recipes she finds.

 

Ms. Julia Guerrero has a Bachelor’s in Political Economy from the University of Asia and the Pacific. With a deep interest in international studies, public policy, and governance, she became a research intern at the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor while still undertaking her studies. She volunteered for the ASEAN Business Advisory Council during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2017. In addition to supporting the EAS Congress 2018, she will also aid with knowledge products for the PRDP-GEF-PEMSEA IKM Portal. With a great passion for the ocean, Ms. Guerrero is a surfer who plans to live by the beach in the future.

 

Mr. Thomas Bell has a Bachelor’s in Zoology and a Master of Research in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Science from Imperial College London. While in the UK, Thomas was a research intern at the Institute of Zoology within the Zoological Society of London, and then became an intern with the Sea Watch Foundation. Among other roles, he will be helping PEMSEA prepare the EAS Youth Forum, assisting with PEMSEA visibility and promotion, and building the PRF’s Knowledge Management Services through the SEAKB platform. Mr. Bell has a pet cat named “Cat”, although he swears someone else gave it that name.