Ryan V. Silverio Executive Director

Ryan V. Silverio is the Executive Director of ASEAN SOGIE Caucus. They have more that 20 years work experience in the field of human rights, specifically in the areas of human rights education, advocacy, research, and program management. The worked previously with organizations such as Philippine Human Rights Information Center (Philrights), and the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. Their activism extended into the academe in a capacity as Senior Lecturer at the Department of International Studies of Miriam College where they taught courses on gender, human rights, and social research. Ryan has co-authored publications on child rights, human rights education, and migration and ICT. Ryan is passionate about cultural activism, mysticism, and creating spaces for unheard voices within social movements. Ryan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies degree from Miriam College, Philippines, and a Master of Arts in Human Rights degree obtained from Mahidol University, Thailand.

Ryan tweets via @queeringryan.

Bel Mirasol Finance Officer

Bel has a bachelor's degree in Finance and many years of experience working as the finance officer for private, small and multinational companies, and non-government organizations. Her handle of mathematics and her efficiency in an efficient and professional manner has made her indispensible in all the institutions she has worked in. She believes in maintaining high ethical standards at all times, keeping things organized, and working efficiently even under tight deadlines.

Juliet De Guzman Administrative Officer

Juliet is a passionate social development worker and an alumna of the Movement for the Advancement of Student Power (MASP). She has been involved in various advocacies since her college days in the early 90s and has worked in organizations engaged with climate change, debt campaigns, anti-poverty, and enhancing opportunities for marginalized sectors. She is a proud single mother whose life is anchored on a mission to contribute to social change.

Yen Nguyen Program Manager

Yen is a queer feminist from Viet Nam. She has engaged in local LBTQ grassroots activism since 2004. From 2008 to December 2017, she empowered the Vietnamese LGBTIQ community through youth leadership development and inclusive and safe education environment programs in her position as Program Director of the national LGBTIQ organization. In 2018, she transitions to focus more on building a feminist LBTQ movement within Viet Nam, in the Southeast Asia/Asia-Pacific region, as well as internationally.

Yen is committed to building bridges among grassroots communities working on diverse and intersectional issues, including mental health, gender equality, education, and children’s rights. She likes the letter C: coffee, cats, and critical thinking.

Lini Zurlia Advocacy Officer

Lini Zurlia is an Indonesian queer feminist activist. She has been involved with issues of women and sexuality, democracy, and human rights in Indonesia for many years. Graduated from Jakarta Islamic University.

She was an advocacy co-ordinator for Arus Pelangi (Indonesian LGBTI Federation) and now she is serving us as an advocacy officer. Aside from her daily responsibility work with us, she is also a member of Arus Pelangi Board of Advisory until 2022, member of PurpleCode Collective and the co-founder and festival director of 16Film Festival.

Jan Gabriel Castañeda Program Associate

Jan is a member of the LGBT Psychology Special Interest Group of the Psychological Association of the Philippines and was previously with the University of the Philippines Center for Women's Studies. He has worked in various capacities in research projects with different institutions, such as with the Epidemiology Bureau of the Philippine Department of Health and the Pambansang Samahan ng Sikolohiyang Pilipino (National Association of Filipino Psychology). He engages in a diverse range of research interests and believes that only with sound methodologies and sound ethics can advocacies truly move forward.

Genica Bucao Project Officer (Forging Intersectional Feminist Futures Project)

Gen’s personal mission is to guide children, youth, and adults alike to practice inclusive behaviors for a more socially-just society for structurally-excluded individuals.

She currently strives toward this by blending her roles in coordinating the Philippine-level components of Forging Intersectional Feminist Futures as part of the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, managing the Safe Spaces Project of Amnesty International Philippines, and designing innovative learning experiences as the Head of Development of TULA Philippines. By merging these experiences, she hopes to foster an education ecosystem where learners and educators are empowered to create safe and inclusive learning spaces free from what she calls the “Five Injurious I’s of Education,” namely, illiteracy, innumeracy, institutional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal discrimination.

She likes to play and perform as an improviser when she isn't working.