Filipino journalist, blogger, gamer and social media expert Joey Alarilla is now the head of Social Content Strategy for Yahoo! Southeast Asia.

Alan Soon, Yahoo! Southeast Asia managing editor, made the announcement today in Singapore.  Prior to his promotion, Alarilla was Yahoo! Southeast Asia’s social media editor. 

In a telephone interview, Alarilla said his promotion is a recognition of what Filipinos can do and have done in the areas of social content and social media, citing the online coverage of the recently-concluded automated elections in the Philippines, which Yahoo! helped cover via PurpleThumb. 

Alarilla said among his tasks in the new position is to “create strategies for social content for the entire region.” 

“It is really a realization that people come first. Social means engaging people both online and offline and about human relationships,” said Alarilla.

Alarilla said that “more than social media and social networks, we should look at how we create content our readers want.”

Alarilla will continue to be based in Manila but would fly frequently to Singapore and other cities where Yahoo! may need his expertise.

Before he worked in Yahoo!, Alarilla served as multimedia head at gaming company Level Up!, blogged about technology for CNET Asia and was elected founding president of the Asian Gaming Journalists Association among others. He worked as a technology journalist for a decade. 

Click here for a March 2010 Yahoo! interview with Joey Alarilla