Sometimes unnerving. Never nonchalant. Essentially xenophilous. That’s how I perceive Sunnex to be. It took me a while to get the hang of the work here and even longer to get to know the people behind it. For someone who has been with the Sun.Star Network Exchange for a year and 10 months, I would say that I have become quite familiar with the people who make the network “work” and ensure the exchange is incessant.

The Sunnex team is composed of people who come from different backgrounds –- with varied abilities and skill sets, and each person, like the many facets of the Sun.Star website, has something to offer that makes the online news network function like a well-oiled machine.

Take for example our Sunnex head, Nini Cabaero, who oversees everything. She’s the one who connects us to the outside world, voices our concerns to higher management, and makes deals with business people and companies to usher in improvements to the website. In that context and in Sunnex terms, she would be our Internet broadband connection because she provides a flow of information from one source to another and vice versa.

Our online editor, Marlen Limpag, to me is like our top network (banner) story. The banner story is the first thing visitors to the website will see and it has to be effective enough to entice the readers to browse beyond the homepage. And that’s how I see her –- an efficient gatekeeper who always makes sure that people who come to the website linger longer.

As for Mildred Galarpe, our network coordinator, I’ve come to know her as a people person. I think that’s why she’s the one coordinating exchanges between Sunnex and the Sun.Star newspapers all over the country. Because of her interpersonal skills, she is able to gather relevant data, which she then shares with us in the department to keep us informed. She’s like the breaking news feature on the website.

Online writer Joy Flores has a bubbly personality that seems to be a potent neutralizer to the stronger personalities in Sunnex. She’s like our e-magazine because she has the right combination of serious and fun and she’s got loads of fresh ideas in her head. She is easy to get along with and always effervescent.

The technical department is headed by supervisor Ivan Rodis. He is like an online firewall, as he’s the one responsible for the overall technology and security of the Sun.Star website — keeping the bad stuff (and sometimes people) away from the sensitive and significant data, programs and other technologies that the office holds dear.

Behind him are technical assistants Dave Tangarorang and Victor Sotto. The former is the self-confessed heartthrob, in charge of archiving. The latter is a newbie on the fast track of learning the tricks of the trade and works on programming.

Over at the Luzon bureau, we have bureau head Gem Cabreros and reporter Jonathan Fernandez, who are fun to have around and are an essential part of the Sunnex team.

Finally, we have administrative assistant Leah Ybañez who seems to be like a computer processor because of all the things she processes during her work day. She handles and facilitates office functions, which helps assure a smooth flow of work in the department.

These are the people who make the Sun.Star website work. These are the people behind Sunnex. I got to know them more over the course of 22 months and I’m hoping to get to know them more in the coming years (God willing).

But what about the writer of this article? Isn’t he part of the team? Well, if I’m still here for next year’s Sunnex anniversary, you just might read someone else write about me.