Hey there!
We are almost midway through the year, and a lot has happened.
As temperatures slowly rise to an all-time high and we do our best to keep cool, let us still leave some space for some warmth and positivity.
For our newsletter this month, we bring you good news as we relay to you the release of our recent grant results and the opportunity to host an EAGx conference in the Philippines!
Also, check out the latest updates as DEVCON Philippines held a collaborative event with EA PH tackling the AI Dilemma and our first Komunidad meet-up last month!
Discover some awesome news as well from our student chapters, EA Blue and EA UP Diliman, as they bring some cool and refreshing updates.
News in EA Philippines
EA PH Grant Results
We are pleased to announce that Effective Altruism Philippines was able to secure a grant of $45,387 (~ Php 2.4m) from the EA Infrastructure Fund for the next 6 months.
This will fund around 2.5 FTE (full-time equivalent) of salary for the five EA PH core team for the next 6 months, with it being split across the EA PH core team members.
The grant also includes some money for our general operational expenses, which we can redistribute and pay for other expenses such as tech subscriptions, event costs, book orders, stipends and many more.
We aim to use this grant in an impactful way and further improve and grow the EA PH community as much as we can for the next 6 months.
If you wish to hear the EA PH core team discuss more of the grant results, attend our townhall meeting and socials this Saturday, April 22 at the Bayanihan Cafe. You may sign-up here.
EA Philippines’ First Komunidad Meet-up
EA Philippines held their first 'Komunidad' meet-up last Saturday at Nipa Brew, Makati.
The meet-up was attended by EA PH community members from our student chapters, Effective Altruism Blue and Effective Altruism UP Diliman, and our professionals. Also present are guests who are attending an EA PH event for the first time. Read more
We are also having our next Komunidad meet-up this month! Attend our townhall meeting and socials this Saturday, April 22 at the Bayanihan Cafe. You may sign-up here.
DEVCON PH x EA PH: The AI Dilemma
What should be the critical conversations for developers as they build on the current capabilities of artificial intelligence?
Last April 15, DEVCON Philippines, in collaboration with EA Philippines, conducted a series of lightning talks and a panel discussion for developers at the Nipa Brew, Makati where industry experts from various fields discussed the ethics and safety concerns surrounding the rapidly evolving technology. Read more
Arrangements for EAGxPhilippines is ongoing
If you haven’t heard, the Centre for Effective Altruism Events Team has greenlit the Philippines to hold an EAGx conference in our country!
This gives the EA Philippines community the chance to organize a conference where foreign EA community members from Southeast Asia and across the globe could attend and hear talks given by our local and regional EA members from a wide range of cause areas and fields. This is also an opportunity for EA PH community members to gather, discuss, and collaborate on how we can further improve and apply the ideas of effective altruism in our country, and the region.
We are also opening positions to our community members who wish to lend out their talents and resources to ensure the success of our conference. Kindly refer to our primer for the relevant positions available and on how to express interest.
Learn more on what are EAGx conferences through here
Our Reading Group Program
Have you ever wanted to discuss a certain cause area from an EA book or resource you read?
Here is your chance with the Reading Group Program!
Simply form a group of at least 3 people, choose a main point-person, and book a call with our Associate Director, Alethea Cendaña!
You can read more about the reading program here.
News in EA Blue
Talab
In partnership with the Ateneo Talakayan ng Bayan (TALAB), EA Blue held “Today is for Tomorrow: How effective altruism empowers building inclusive futures,” on March 21, 2023. The event was led by effective altruists in key organizations, and aimed to introduce effective altruism to interested Ateneans and discuss how effective altruists can build a better and more inclusive future for generations to come.
An introduction to effective altruism was given by Elmerei Cuevas, the Executive Director for Effective Altruism Philippines. The second talk featured Byron Sanborn, Southeast Asia Chief of Staff at IDinsight. He described how poverty reduction, a pressing issue in developing countries such as the Philippines, can be tackled through EA. Farrah Dingal, Research Associate at the Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters (ALLFED), ended the series of talks with a contrasting perspective on EA and food security -- depicting how it is also relevant to look into long term issues.
Before wrapping up the event, participants were able to engage with the speakers through a Q & A, where EA concepts, frameworks, and practical tips were fleshed out.
Introductory Fellowship 05: Mid-way Socials
The Introductory Fellowship Team conducted its Mid-way Socials on April 1, 2023 to celebrate the fellows’ active participation for the first four weeks of the IF. Conducted virtually, fellows, facilitators, and the core team played games and socialized before taking their well deserved academic break during the holy week.
Tambay Week
In the last week of March, EA Blue held its second Tambay Week for the semester. This time, the organization aimed to create a conducive environment for productivity, hence the “Co-working session” theme. Together, the EAglets conquered the gruesome Ateneo midterms.
EA Blue Merchandise Selling
EA Blue will be launching their 2023 merchandise this April 17, 2023. Delineating from their minimalist aesthetic, EA Blue offers retro inspired t-shirt designs, lanyards, and stickers. Not an EA Blue member but interested to buy their merch? Check out their Facebook Page for more details. Although the items are bleeding blue, the items would be cute for any and every effective altruist to fashion.
Stay tuned for more updates at EA Blue
News in EA UP Diliman
All Day Tambay with EA UPD
Last March 24, EA UPD hosted an All Day Tambay at the UP-NCPAG Building. It was a full day of coworking, games, snacks, and spontaneous discussions. The event was open to UP students who want to hang out and are interested in learning more about the organization. Read more
Learning Session: Scout Mindset and EAveryday Life
On March 24, EA UPD members participated in a learning session on Scout Mindset and EAveryday Life.
The session consisted of two topics: "If the scout mindset is great, then why are we not applying it?" by Hans Antiojo and Danielle Chua, and "How do we practice the scout mindset in our everyday lives?" by LA Cleofe and Keoni Bello. The speakers provided insightful and practical tips on how to adopt the scout mindset, which is about approaching situations with curiosity and an open mind. The learning session concluded with socials where participants had a chance to discuss the topics further.
Uncharted: An Introductory Workshop to Effective Altruism
EA UPD conducted its first ever Introductory Workshop on Effective Altruism on April 1st. The workshop brought together a diverse group of individuals who were interested in exploring the uncharted territories of Effective Altruism.
The day-long workshop consisted of discussions on a variety of topics related to effective altruism, including its core principles, the importance of evidence-based decision-making, the value of cause prioritization, and the concept of moral uncertainty. Members welcomed applicants to the community and had dinner together to wrap up the day. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with like-minded iskos and iskas and share about how we can create meaningful change in the world.
Stay tuned for more updates at EA UP Diliman
Upcoming Events
Authentic Relating Workshop - EA PH Komunidad Meet-up for April
Note: Signing-up here will automatically register you to our townhall meeting and socials. Form will close once we reach a maximum of 20 participants.
April 22, 2023 (Saturday) from 1pm - 3pm
Bayanihan Cafe (212 Haig st.)
Townhall Meeting and Workshop - EA PH Komunidad Meet-up for April
April 22, 2023 (Saturday) from 3pm - 6pm
Bayanihan Cafe (212 Haig st.)
Changing the World by Doing Research - Effective Thesis Virtual Session
[Open to all Filipino students regardless of academic year and university]
April 25, 2023 (Tuesday) from 9pm - 10pm
Via Zoom
Upcoming Conferences
If you’re considering applying, kindly check first this forum post on updates on spending for CEA-run events.
[June 9-11, 2023]
[Deadline: May 19, 2023]
[October 27-29, 2023]
[Deadline: October 12, 2023]
• EAGxNew York 2023
[Coming soon]
Check out the EA Global website to be updated with upcoming events!
Upcoming Workshops
• Global Challenges Project Existential Risks Workshop
May 26 - 29, 2023; Oxford, UK
[Deadline: April 23, 2023]
June 30 - July 3, 2023 Berkeley, USA
Express your interest while slots are available through here
• SERI ML Alignment Theory Scholars Program Summer Cohort 2023
Online training in June, Research Phase July-August in Berkely, CA
[Deadline: May 7, 2023]
News relevant to the Philippines
Be in the loop with local news and resources.
• The Philippines could become an AI data center
(3 mins. read)
• 93% of Pinoys experienced impact of climate change
(4 mins. read)
• Tamaraw: What about the rights of animals?
(9 mins. read)
• Software engineer reveals AI helped develop ‘My Philippines Travel Level Map’
(5 mins. read & watch)
• House resolution for nationwide study on students' mental health filed
(2 mins. read)
(4 mins. read)
• Financing climate action vital to economic growth
(2 mins. read)
Foreign EA-related news
News on AI has been around lately, but here are other news touching on different cause areas.
• AIs accelerating AI research
— by Ajeya Cotra
(6 mins. read)
• Lead exposure: a shallow cause exploration
— Joel McGuire, Samuel Dupret, Michael Plant, and Ryan Dwyer
(39 mins. read)
• Nobody's on the ball on AGI Alignment
— by Leopold
(11 mins. read)
• A write-up on the biosecurity landscape in China
— by Chloe Lee
(8 mins. read)
• Introducing the Maternal Health Initiative
— by Ben Williamson and Sarah Hough
(6 mins. read)
— by Toby Ord
(11 mins. read)
• GiveWell's updated estimate of deworming and decay
— by GiveWell
(13 mins. read)
• FLI Open Letter: Pause Giant AI Experiments
— by Zach Stein-Perlman
(3 mins. read)
Some interesting reads
A list of some interesting and detailed resources we found
• Announcing a new animal advocacy podcast: How I Learned to Love Shrimp
— by James Özden and Amy Odene
(1 min. read)
• My experience attending and volunteering at an EAGx for the first time
— by Nayanika
(4 mins. read)
• AISafety.world is a map of the AIS ecosystem
— by Hamish Doodles
(1 min. read)
• Iqisa: A Library For Handling Forecasting Datasets
— by Niplav
(2 mins. read)
• New Blog: Planned Obsolescence
— by Ajeya Cotra and Kelsey Piper
(1 min. read)
Opportunities in EA-aligned organizations
Below are some featured opportunities that are accessible to Filipinos from our Opportunities Board. It shows all the current opportunities available (full-time, part-time, internship, and volunteer opportunities). It also has links to other relevant places where you can find impactful jobs, and we also include there how we choose which jobs to feature.
Our opportunities board has remote jobs from foreign EA organizations, and also some roles at local organizations that we either think are impactful to work for, or they provide good experience and skills for making an impact later on.
Remote opportunities from foreign EA-aligned organizations
• Research Analyst - Charity Entrepreneurship
[Rolling Applications]
• Program Manager - Rethink Wellbeing
[Rolling Applications]
• Introductory EA Program - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from May 08 to July 02
[Deadline: April 23, 2023]
• In-Depth EA Program - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from May 08 to July 02
[Deadline: April 23, 2023]
• The Precipice Reading Group - Effective Altruism Virtual Programs
Starts from May 08 to July 02
[Deadline: April 23, 2023]
• High Impact Professionals Accelerator Program
Runs from May 29 to July 7
[Deadline: May 7, 2023]
Take the challenge and participate in these Opportunities
• Research contests to advance AI alignment - AI Alignment Awards
[Deadline: May 1, 2023]
• Create a visual map of the AGI safety ecosystem - Superlinear
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
• Most Important Century Writing Prize - Superlinear
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
Opportunities for Filipino EAs
• EAGxPhilippines Organizer and Part-time Roles - Effective Altruism Philippines
[Deadline: April 22, 2023]
• Associate Director - IDInsight Philippines
[No deadline specified as of the moment]
• Impact & Process Improvement (Senior) Associate - IDInsight Philippines
[Rolling Applications]
• Advisor, Right-Fit Evidence - Innovations for Poverty Action
[Rolling Applications]
• Research Manager - Innovations for Poverty Action
[Rolling Applications]
• Senior Research Associate-Innovations for Poverty Action
[Rolling Applications]
High Impact Professionals Talent Directory
High Impact Professionals (HIP) has launched a Talent Directory to assist those looking to transition to a higher impact role at an EA-aligned organization. The directory will increase the visibility of your profile,, with your consent, as it will be proactively shared with organizations and shared publicly on HIP’s website.
If you are looking to transition your career to higher impact opportunities, please sign up to HIP's Talent Directory to ensure you are in front of organizations looking to make a hire.
EA Philippines’ Code of Conduct
The EA Philippines core team recently created the official Effective Altruism Philippines Code of Conduct in hopes to facilitate a constructive and meaningful collaboration among individuals. In order to achieve this objective, we have established some guidelines that we expect our community to adhere by as our local community slowly grows.
EA Philippines Anonymous Feedback Form
As a response to some of our members noting that sometimes it is uncomfortable for them to provide direct feedback to some EA PH members, we decided to create this form so you may raise any concerns you have related to EA Philippines, including on any of our projects, leaders, volunteers, or community members.
Feedback here will be visible to the EA Philippines core team: Elmerei Cuevas, Alethea Cendaña, Tanya Quijano, Jay Chang, and Brian Tan.
We may follow up with your answers via chat or a call if you would like us to.
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Best,
EA Philippines