Community builders empowered to build better communities with Nas.io

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



From the online bulletin boards of local villages and cities, online marketplaces, fan groups, school associations, and even home improvement pages, Filipinos have continued to remain active in participating in their numerous online communities as a go-to source for discussing their favorite topics with like-minded netizens.

More and more companies, interest groups, and organizations are building communities to create deeper, more meaningful relationships with and among their users and members. According to market research company GWI, in 2020 alone, 76% of all internet users participated in an online community, a statistic that has annually increased by 2% over the past 3 years.

With the rise of online communities today, builders and innovators are expected to carry out the operational work of reaching members and managing offline and online events — all while nurturing genuine and authentic connections with their followers.

Today, community leaders can do away with using multiple platforms and save hundreds of hours on administrative work through streamlining various operations, made possible using Nas Company’s newest platform, Nas.io.

Nas.io is the latest tech platform released by global content creator and founder and CEO of Nas Company, Nuseir Yassin. Nas.io equips community leaders with modern, intuitive tech solutions that make it easier to start and manage a growing online community.

Connect and communicate with members

One of the biggest challenges community managers face is reaching their audience, especially with the ever changing algorithms of the most popular social media platforms. Community managers have turned to smaller niche groups on group chat platforms. However, this presents its own problems, such as it being easy for members to get lost upon joining.

Nas.io solves this by functioning as a management layer on top of existing chat platforms like Facebook Groups, WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram, or Slack. Managers can use it as a tool to provide community members context on what conversations to expect through a custom community landing page. Nas.io also includes a unique feature called Magic Reach that allows community managers to send emails and messages to their communities. This intelligent messaging feature automatically finds the best way to send messages to community members. The tool is designed to learn how users or members prefer to be contacted, and which platform they are most active in.



Create and manage events

Aside from consistent communication, community builders also aim to create perfect events both in-person and virtual for its members.

From setting calendar invites to creating virtual meeting rooms, to making an event page and setting up a registration form, Nas.io simplifies the process of creating and managing events. By filling up three basic fields, community managers can automatically generate a personalized Zoom link shared to its members, which will lead them to a customized event page. Through the platform’s feature of sending and saving notifications to the members’ calendars, emails, and the mobile app, community managers can expect higher attendance and engagement rates. The platform can also be programmed to handle the member authentication to ensure exclusivity. And, should there be an admission fee to join these events, a hassle-free payment processing system can also be set-up by the manager.



Make communities sustainable

All the longest existing communities include monetization. This is why Nas.io includes monetization features that allow community managers to earn in order to sustain their community.

From membership subscription fees, exclusive content access, and event participation, creators can set-up their communities to be free, paid or even NFT-gated. This means that members are given several payment options that can be fulfilled through credit or debit cards, PayPal, and even crypto.



Filipino Communities started using Nas.io in its early stages

Prior to its official launch, Filipino communities started using Nas.io in its beta stage and have demonstrated great potential in the market.

Philippine Country Head of Nas Company Jacqueline Maye Lim said, “We at Nas Company aim to enable the creators, entrepreneurs, marketers to add value to their members through our platform. We have seen early signs of this in our beta launch where we have amazing communities that help their leaders build a deeper connection with their audience enabling them to solve their problems and add value to them. Whether it’s about finding alternative employment, or simply saving on important life milestones, communities are everywhere.”

Barangay Virtual Assistants (VA), more commonly known as Barangay VA, is one of the largest communities on Facebook with over 30,000 members. Despite the number of followers, community leader Jam Blauta shares that he can’t reach all thousands of his followers.

“As a community manager, I need to easily secure my audience and reach them instantly whether through SMS or email. The reality is, the number of social media followers doesn’t matter anymore that when you post content, you only reach 10% or sometimes even less. This is why Nas.io is the best thing that has happened in helping me reach the community of virtual assistants.”

To date, over 10,000 aspiring virtual assistants are using Nas.io, where they are educated, trained and given free advice and online courses on how to get employed.

Another up-and-coming group is Camille Fornela’s The Budgetarian Bride, an online community of brides, grooms, and wedding planners, who come together to discuss budget-friendly nuptial options and real experiences on wedding planning. Today, The Budgetarian Bride’s community has helped almost 4,000 soon-to-be married Filipinos plan their dream weddings without breaking the bank.

“Having multiple content formats available in one platform and connectivity to existing ones is essential in growing my community,” said Fornela.

Yassin awarded community leaders Jam Blauta and Camille Fornela in an exclusive community meet-up held at the New Frontier Theater last November 12, 2022. He highlighted their success in engaging local audiences in their respective communities that are transforming Filipinos’ lives.

Visit nas.io to know more about how you can create your own communities today.



About Nas Company

Nas means people. Nas Company is on a mission to build community products that bring people together. Nas Company has successfully built communities over the years and are now building tools and integrations that will allow others to manage engaged communities faster and better than ever before.



About Nuseir Yassin

Nuseir Yassin is the founder and CEO of Nas Company and Nas Studios with over 50 million followers across the world. Nas.io and Nas Academy are housed under Nas Company with the mission to Bring People Together by building innovative education and community tools for creators.




Photo 1: Founder and CEO of Nas Daily and Nas Company Nuseir Yassin awards Community Creator Jam Blauta of the Barangay Virtual Assistants (Barangay VA) for being the first community to gather 10,000 members in Nas Company’s newest community platform, Nas.io.


Photo 2: Founder and CEO of Nas Daily and Nas Company Nuseir Yassin recognizes Community Creator Camille Fornela of The Budgetarian Bride for reaching over a thousand followers in the beta stage of Nas Company’s newest community platform, Nas.io.


Photo 3: Founder and CEO of Nas Daily and Nas Company Nuseir Yassin, together with his team from Nas Company in the Philippines, pose for a group photo with the attendees of the ‘Nas Daily Community Meet-up’ held last November 12, 2022 at the New Frontier Theater, Quezon City.

SSS launches WISP Plus, the newest retirement savings scheme for members

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Social Security System (SSS) introduces the Worker’s Investment and Savings Program (WISP) Plus, its newest retirement savings scheme for SSS members.

In a press briefing, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael G. Regino explained WISP Plus is a voluntary retirement savings program offered exclusively to SSS members in addition to its regular social security program.

“We have been spearheading the concept of work, save, invest, and prosper to our members. WISP Plus is a program both for saving and investing. It is an affordable and tax-free savings scheme which will allow our members to save by contributing to the program and invest because their money will generate earnings,” Regino said.

The SSS Chief further elaborated that WISP Plus serves as an additional layer of social security protection apart from the retirement benefits that they will receive from the regular SSS program until their retirement.

“For as low as P500 per payment, SSS members can already contribute to the WISP Plus and pay their contribution anytime. We offer our members investment earnings based on rates higher than those provided by banks,” he added.

WISP Plus would cater to all SSS members, regardless of their membership type, declared monthly earnings, and last posted monthly salary credit (MSC).

The current WISP is another provident fund program which is compulsory for SSS members who are contributing to the regular program under the MSC that exceeds P20,000. It was mandatorily implemented in January 2021 as part of the amendment in the SS Law last 2018.

Interested SSS members could join WISP Plus by accepting the terms and conditions of the program using their My.SSS account. They can only apply for WISP Plus once, and membership in the program has no expiration.

Moreover, they should not have filed any final benefit claim, such as retirement or total disability benefits, to qualify for the program.

Regino added that individuals who applied for their SS number online through the SSS website could easily enroll in the program after receiving their respective SS numbers.

At present, SSS is already implementing two voluntary provident fund programs---the Flexi-fund Program for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) residing overseas, and the Personal Equity and Savings Option (PESO) Fund offered to members living in the Philippines and paying the maximum monthly contributions. The two programs will eventually be part of the WISP Plus.

Meanwhile, Regino also announced during the press briefing that starting January 1, 2023, the new SSS contribution rate will be 14 percent, a 1 percentage point increase from the current 13 percent. This is part of the implementation of the Social Security Act of 2018, and this will also be advantageous to the SSS members in the form of higher benefits.

For employed members, their employers will shoulder the 1 percent increase in the contribution rate. On the other hand, individual paying members, such as self-employed, voluntary, non-working spouse, and OFW members, will shoulder the whole contribution rate since they have no employers.

He also noted that at the same time, SSS will adjust the minimum and maximum monthly salary credits (MSCs), which will serve as the basis for the monthly contribution of a member. The minimum MSC will become P4,000 from the current P3,000 to P4,000 while the maximum MSC will be increased to P30,000 from the current P25,000.

PACU taps UN Sasakawa Laureate for Climate Smart Academia 2050

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



In an effort to improve the climate change mitigation and adaptation capabilities of the country’s higher educational institutions (HEIs), the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) recently launched “Climate Smart Academia 2050.” The long-term, nationwide program aims to:

· Develop Net-zero Emission (NZE) or Decarbonization or Low Carbon Diet Roadmap for the academic sector through the Green House Gases (GHGs) accounting; 

· Develop and implement a Climate Change Adaptation-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CCA-DRRM) Solution for the country; and

· Conduct regional trainings, capacity buildings, and consultation workshops on climate and sustainability financing

To achieve these goals, PACU enlisted the aid of UN-awarded science diplomat Glenn Banaguas. As president and founder of the Environmental and Climate Change Research Institute (ECCRI), Banaguas established the “Climate Smart Philippines” to bring science to the public and capacitate all levels of stakeholders in addressing disasters and preventing losses from climate change and other hazards.

“It is an honor for me to be able to help our country’s future generation of leaders to become more empowered and better prepared for the challenges of tomorrow,” Banaguas said.

“Moreover, this initiative helps extend and complements our existing efforts to provide public and private schools across the country with much-needed climate and resilience competencies.”

For his pioneering work, Banaguas received the prestigious UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Asia Leaders Award for Sustainable Leadership, and other international accolades. He is also the Chairman of the ASEAN Science Diplomats and the US-ASEAN Fellows for Science and Technology, and a member of the EU-Asia Expert Panel for Climate Diplomacy and Environmental Security. He is also the Executive Fellow of the renowned Geneva Centre for Security Policy in Switzerland. Recently, he was chosen as the distinguished Lee Kuan Yew Senior Fellow in Public Service, the most prestigious programme in Singapore.

The PACU is the oldest and most esteemed umbrella organization of private institutions of higher education in the Philippines, originally established in 1932 as the Association of Filipino Private Universities and Colleges (AFPUC) at the suggestion of patriots Justice Jose Abad Santos and Conrado Benitez. PACU aims to contribute to nation-building through transformative private higher education in a deregulated environment imbued with a global perspective and anchored on social responsibility and mutual cooperation.