Wingspan Consulting Pte Ltd has partnered with Philippine nonprofit organization OFW Ako Inc. to produce a digital talk show covering issues and stories related to the overseas Filipino worker experience.
The first episode of “Kabayan Connect” launched on August 29, 2021, featuring former broadcast journalist turned airline spokesperson Steve Dailisan.
Dailisan talked about his career trajectory, from his decade-long stint as a news reporter and documentarist with television network GMA-7 to becoming an Airbus A320 pilot with Cebu Pacific, where he channeled many of the skills he developed as a field reporter: determination, courage, communicating with clarity, and multitasking.
After getting laid off during the pandemic, Dailisan found a new calling as public affairs head and spokesperson for AirAsia, a job that brought together his “love for aviation and passion to bring information to an audience.”
“Air travel continues to be the safest form of transport even in the pandemic because all the health and safety protocols are in place,” Dailisan assured viewers in the episode. He walked the audience through the step-by-step process of pandemic travel, from booking and completing pre-flight requirements, which include taking an RT-PCR test, to temperature scan and physical distancing before boarding. Cabins are now equipped with hospital-grade HEPA filter, which are effective in capturing minute particles in the air, including viruses and bacteria. Dailisan also assured travelers that AirAsia is taking steps to ensure its entire workforce is fully vaccinated, with compliance now close to 100 percent.
Bringing migrant stories to the fore
As the corporate social responsibility arm of fintech company Pinoy Luminaries, OFW Ako aims to create an informed Filipino migrant community.
Aside from the “Kabayan Connect” talk show, Wingspan Consulting has collaborated with Pinoy Luminaries on financial literacy training programs for overseas and returning Filipinos.
“This collaboration with Pinoy Luminaries and OFW Ako amplifies Wingspan’s decades-long work in ethical recruitment and sustainable hiring. We want our OFWs to be treated fairly and humanely, while making sure they are well-informed and have the proper support in place while they are abroad and working to build better lives for their families in the Philippines,” said Wingspan founder Cristina Castaneda.
Follow future episodes of Kabayan Connect on the OFW Ako Facebook page.