The People Behind the Group

Who are the people behind The Love Yourself Project (VINN Advocacy)?

OFFICERS

CEO/President: Ronivin G. Pagtakhan

Ronivin Garcia Pagtakhan is a registered nurse in the Philippines and California. He is a graduate of the University of the Philippines Manila where he took his BS Nursing degree, and PWU for his MA Nursing degree. He has been an educator since he was 19 and he is currently a faculty member of Mapua Institute of Technology, Centro Escolar University, and UP core-group review CENE and other national nursing board review centers around the Philippines. He was among the topnotchers for the nursing board exam in 2004 and a university scholar. He has been active in socio-civic activities since his college days where he was part of the UP USC. He co-authored a book entitled National Board Exam Review Notes by CENE publishing. He was recognized as one of the 2011 MAPUA's most outstanding professors and recently won the 2011 Twitter Oscars Shorty Awards as the Nurse of the Year (@ronnievinn), the first Filipino to win the said international awards. He recently got his HCCT counselor certification.

Secretary and Treasurer: Neil Bryant S. Calizo

Neil Byrant Calizo is a registered nurse in the Philippines. He belonged to the upper 15 percentile of the board exam passers in 2008. He is a graduate of BS Nursing at Centro Escolar University, where he was an active leader, and officer of the Red Cross Committee. He was a consistent honor student during his school days. He is currently working at Ameriprise Financial while doing volunteer nursing and HIV awareness programs.

DIRECTORS

Director for Counseling and Education: Ian Felix Alquiros

Ian is a Registered Physical Therapist. After working for almost a decade as an Operations Manager in a Call Center in Quezon City, Ian has decided to focus on his creative craft as a Professional Photographer. As an accomplished fashion photographer and portraitist, he owns and operates The Room, an innovative photo and events studio in Quezon City. He also has a certificate in Video Production from the UP Film Institute (Film Making) and Project Management and Production Design from the NCCA/CCP.

Director for Communication and Partnerships: Chris Lagman

Chris is an Executive and Life Coach from the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara (California, USA). He relocated back to Manila in March 2011 to pursue his love for education, consulting, and coaching. He is currently a faculty member at the Ateneo de Manila University, and does Training and Organization Development consulting work on the side. Chris holds degrees in BS Physics (UP Diliman) and MS Information Technology (Ateneo de Manila University). Chris also attended Asian Institute of Management’s Executive MBA Corporate Change program. He has recently obtained his HIV Counselor certification from the Woodwater Center for Healing.

CONSULTANTS

Von Arroyo

Anthony Liam

Jun Nenada

Antonio Payomo III

Deogracia M. Valderrama

Kenn Velasco