Born and raised in the ‘slums of Tondo’ in the Philippine capital of Manila, Jonathan Yabut is working on his fourth book.

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

A millennial who has targeted the Philippine presidency at age 55 believes the 1980s to 1990s-born would have their feet on solid ground — despite the easy life they are enjoying because of booming technology — if and when they are helped to look back to the past and fully comprehend what was.

“That is why the past and what was, how things were, are significant components of our workshops and seminars,” said Jonathan Yabut.

The 34-year-old is among the over 130 wordsmiths and thinkers from around the world eruditely chosen to participate at the ongoing “Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature” at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Dubai Festival City.

Born and raised in the poverty and criminality-stricken “slums of Tondo” in the Philippine capital of Manila, Yabut is working on his fourth book.

He had published his biography in 2014, “From Grit to Great: The Journey to Becoming Asia’s Apprentice,” in 2016, “Fast Forward: The Ultimate Career Guide for the Millennials on the Move,” and in 2018, “Single, Taken or Building My Empire,” which is about finding happiness in both career and love life.

The motivational speaker has earned the monicker “Asia’s Millennial Guru” having become the successful mentee-turned-entrepreneur via “The Apprentice Asia” business-entrepreneurship reality show in 2013. At the 12th edition of the globally-accepted literature festival, Yabut conducted master classes: “Boost Your Confidence” on effective pitching and public speaking, “The Art of Ikigai” on the Japanese concept of making a purposeful life boosting one’s professional and personal lives, and “Boost Your Work Productivity” on the work-life balance focusing on energy management, strategies and frameworks.

His book writing career began after a publishing company approached him, having noticed his social media followers immensely growing by way of his posts since his “The Apprentice Asia” 2013 days.

“I believe (the traditional book) is still important. People still want to feel the pages and the paper. I believe people (still identify themselves with the (traditional book they come to own).” Yabut with over 12 years of marketing/human resources background, has since 2014 managed to reach out to thousands of fellow millennials and even those older, not only through his books but through the workshops/seminars/teach-ins he and his team of 50 people through his own JY Consultancy and Ventures.

“We only started with two and now we are a team of (at least) 50 with offices in Manila, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh (VietNam).”