Seminar on Skill Standards for IT Professionals (ITSS)

I was invited by the Philippine National IT Standards (PhilNITS) Foundation to attend the Seminar on Skill Standards for IT Professionals (ITSS) last January 27, 2012 which was held at Parklane International Hotel in Cebu. The aim of the seminar was to provide a better understanding about the ITSS concept and IT human resource trends in the Philippines and other countries. The event was attended by local IT engineers, HR personnel and some from the academe.

The event was a joint cooperation of Japan Overseas Development Corporation (JODC) and Philippine Software Industry Association (PSiA), in collaboration with the Information-Technology Promotion Agency (IPA) and with the full support of the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan. Read more…

Starting a Tech Business with Cebu Business Incubator in I.T.

It has been more than six months when I decided to go back in Cebu City after a short hiatus in my hometown in Zamboanga (although still did some home-based work).  Working from home is okay but I find it difficult in terms of time management; I tend to procrastinate.

I made a very risky decision when I decided to move back to Cebu City and start a business with the help of Cebu Business Incubator in I.T. (CeBuinIT). Cebu InIT is a Technology Business Incubator made possible by UP Cebu College and Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Ariba Tech Solutions, my small business,  is an I.T. solution provider focusing on web and mobile solutions for small to midsize businesses. Ariba Tech Solutions is categorized as a locator in the facility which is strategically located in University of the Philippines – Cebu, Gorordo Avenue, Lahug, Cebu City. It is near Ayala Center and Cebu I.T. Park.

With Cebu InIT, I was able to get a cheaper facility – a small room office. They also offer cubicle type units for those who intend to jumpstart with their tech business ideas. They also offer technical training and seminars. You can check their website for more information about the facilities and services they offer.

If you wish to get in touch with their marketing, please contact Jeff at +63 (32) 232 – 4995 or email him at  jeffrey@cebuinit.org

You can also visit their official Facebook Page - CeBuinIT: DOST UP Cebu Technology Business Incubator for latest news and updates.

BlackBerry DevCon Asia 2011 in Singapore

Thanks to BlackBerry through Mobile Monday Manila for the free conference pass for the recently concluded BlackBerry DevCon Asia 2011. It was suppose to be held in Bangkok but due to the recent flooding it was transferred to Singapore at the Suntec International Convention Center. And with that, we were entitled for travel incentives for the change of venue.

It was a 2-day event, December 7-8, 2011, with awesome break-out sessions. I am an Android developer and was so interested to join the conference since I want to expand my skills with mobile application development. And since BlackBerry uses C++/Java for its native programming, so yeah… I think it will be easy for me since I am familiar with those programming languages. Read more…

DevCon Philippines Summit: DevOpsDays Manila 2011

I attended the DevCon Cebu GeekUp last October 27, 2011 held at  Kul Kitchen (The Strip Branch). During the geekup, we brainstormed and shared ideas on how to improve the community in term of its goals and future activities. At one point, before ending the session, someone reminded us about the  raffle contest for the most anticipated event of the year by DevCon Philippines, it is the DevOpsDays Manila 2011. When I went back to the office after the geekup, I submitted my entry for the contest and was just trying my luck. It was actually the last day for submission. Days later, and guest what? I received a call from Ms. Jo Eduardo, one of the officers from DevCon Ph, informing me that I won the  round-trip airfare and hotel accommodation to attend the DevCon Philippines Summit – DevOpsDays Manila 2011! Hooray!

Anyway, going to the DevOpsDays Manila 2011… With three other lucky winners (which DevCon labelled us as Scholars) flew to Manila last December 2, 2011 to attend the Summit which was held at Makati Palace Hotel (which where we also stayed for a day).

I was so excited for this event as this is the first in South East Asia; satisfied and glad I took the opportunity to participate. The event basically aims to bring the development and operations in one venue and share ideas on how to collaborate.

It was a jam-packed event. Lots of developers and operations personnel from different companies attended, around 200 to be exact. Also participants from the academe (instructors and students) took the opportunity to explore and learn about DevOpsDays.

The event started with the Opening Remarks by Mr. Winston Damarillo, DeCon Philippines Founder and followed by the Keynote speech by Mr. Lee Thompson, one of the founders of DevOpsDays which he talked about concepts of DevOpsDays and Data Manufacturing Systems. You can read Lee’s latest blog post here. Read more…

This geek was at Google DevFest Manila 2011!

Yes, this geek was at Google DevFest Manila 2011.  I flew to Manila last Sunday to attend the meetup of geeks last Monday, September 19, 2011 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Conference Center in Makati City.

This is my third year attending DevFest, but now I am a volunteer which was assigned to help at the registration table. With me were my fellow GTUG Philippines members from Manila.

The event proper started a bit late just to accommodate all participants coming in; we have lots of walk-in too!

Christine Songco-Lau, SE Asia Lead for Google Developer Relations, started the program with a short keynote and followed by a couple of morning talks by Ankur Kotwal for Android Market for Developers ) and Bleeding Edge HTML5  by Eric Bidelman. Both topics were really insightful and interesting. Ankur focused on how to maximize the use of the Android Market features for Developers while Eric showed cool stuff with HTML5. Really enjoy his demo. Read more…