As of this Wednesday Sept 1st, I completed my first year as the country manager of YGG Pilipinas. It feels like I lived an entire lifetime over these last 12 months. I joined Yield Guild right as the Play-to-Earn and NFT industries were rocketing towards their respective zeniths, and the journey has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The P2E hype was the first time crypto had ever really touched the lower rungs of our society, and it’s startling to think that this cohort of Filipino crypto users had Ronin wallets before they ever had bank accounts. But it was the sense of community that really drove home the difference for me.
In December 2021, YGG raised over $1.4 million in relief funds for Typhoon Odette victims. The donations came from all corners of the metaverse, including hundreds of $5-10 donations from our own members and scholars. We used the funds to support a dozen different non-profits, and directly transferred financial aid to over 5,000 households in affected areas. The community was healing itself; it was really a sight to behold.
The crypto market may have subsided a lot in these last few months, but I’ve ridden the hype train down to its current levels without wavering in our mission one bit. I still want to help at least one million Filipinos find economic opportunities through crypto. That goal continues to be my personal North Star, and it’s the same one I’ve looked towards for eight years now. (Thanks, Gabby & Mench Dizon, for putting me in a position to give this a shot.)
And so I’m going to take it easy this weekend. In reality, that just means I’m going to be working on some art instead of taking calls or making presentations. I’ve been chipping away at my first real NFT of 2022, and it’s shaping up to be the finest cinemagraph I’ve ever produced. I’ve been working with my old conspirator Ian Magbanua, as well as the folks at Galeria Paloma, and I’m aiming to get the whole thing done in time for Crypto Art Week Asia.
Next Tuesday evening, I’m going to be in Baguio City talking about the Ethereum Merge. The Bellatrix upgrade is dropping at Sept 6th, 7:30pm Manila Time, which is the same time as the meetup, so we’ll be able to see it happening live. The second and final stage of the upgrade is now estimated to hit between Sept 10th and 20th, so it could happen as early as my next newsletter. If you’re in the area, please sign up at our Eventbrite, and come and hang out with us. Admission is free!
Stay warm out there, folks! See you all next Saturday!
When someone says he wants to help a million people versus he wants to earn a million bucks, you know in your heart he is going to make it!!!