Youth Congress for Information Technology Harnesses the Boundless Potential of Technology and the Youth with AWS Educate

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 16th Youth Congress for Information Technology (Y4IT), an enabling event recognizing young Filipinos as key drivers of the IT industry’s continued advancement, is set to happen on September 24 to 26, 2018 at UP Diliman, Quezon City. About 10,000 senior high school and tertiary students, educators, and IT practitioners from all over the country are expected to attend.

Organizer, UP System Information Technology Foundation, Inc. (UPSITF), will be leveraging the AWS Educate global program to reinforce Y4IT’s aim to provide a venue for learning, exchange of ideas, and dialogues about IT trends, innovations, and breakthroughs.

According to Vincent Quah, APAC Regional Head for Education, Public Sector, Amazon Web Services, “We believe in the value of supporting like-minded organizations that harness the boundless potential of the technology and the youth. This echoes our own initiatives to educate and train the next generation of IT and cloud professionals in view of global digitalization.  We promote accelerated cloud learning so that they will be ready for the future.”

This year Y4IT is themed “I.T. Feels Like Home” as it returns to UP Diliman after years of being held in other venues as it reached out wider audience that continues to grow annually. The three-day congress will hold its main activities at UP Theater, with satellite activities happening at the UPFI Film Center and Ang Bahay ng Alumni.

Highlighting the event is the cloud essentials training led by AWS, which will provide students the opportunity to learn about storage, database, and load balancer services.  With free AWS Educate promotional credits, they will also get to practice cloud architecting and participate in the Gamified Hackathon Challenge using AWS technology where they will solve real world scenarios by innovating solutions using cloud technologies.

The congress will also feature an exhibit showcasing the latest products and happenings from Accenture, AMA Online Education, TaskUs, 3D2Go, Optum, and Manila Bulletin. Also joining in are Cognizant, Converge ICT Solutions Inc., Microgenesis Business Systems, JobStreet.com, Kalibrr, Tanda, Enchanted Kingdom, Maroons, and Healthy Family Purified Water. Throughout the congress, participants will have the opportunity to connect and network with a variety of industry experts who may guide them in their IT journey.

“This year, Y4iT will be back in the University of the Philippines Diliman. It will provide opportunities for learning, interaction, and collaboration between and among participating companies, universities, colleges, and schools,” according to the UPSITF Executive Director Dr. Jaime DL Caro.

For more info about the event you may visit https://y4it.org/

Sigaw ng Kabataan Coalition Celebrates Peace Day and Peace Consciousness Month Through PIYC 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Sigaw ng Kabataan Coalition is one with the world and all its youth in celebrating the International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”), commemorated globally every year on 21 September, as well as the National Peace Consciousness Month in the Philippines with the theme, “Mithiing Kapayapaan: Sama-samang Isakatuparan.”

SKC is a national alliance of youth leaders and a consortium of youth organizations in the Philippines firmly believing that peacebuilding is among the strong foundations of sustainable development in the country. This would require the key role of the youth in securing peace and inclusiveness amidst diversity in all regions, supporting the Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. On the other hand, the Philippine celebration of the month of September as National Peace Consciousness Month calls for a unified action towards the shared aspiration for a just, comprehensive, and enduring peace regardless of ideology, religion, and culture. The carrier tagline of this year’s Peace Month is “Peace Na Tayo,” a simple way to communicate the theme’s call for a participative pursuit for peace.

To showcase its strong commitment to peacebuilding and unity towards development, the SKC together with the Rotary Satellite Club of Fort Bonifacio Global City Titans will hold the Philippine Intercultural Youth Convention 2018 on 22-23 September at the Great Eastern Hotel in Quezon City. This convention gathers Filipino youth around the country to unite and embrace the diversity of Philippine cultures, faith, and languages, while discussing with government officials and key experts on the significant contribution of the youth in Philippine development.

"Through the Philippine Intercultural Youth Convention 2018, we celebrate peace with the world and with the country as one youth community that is recipient of peace building efforts of generations before us, and responsible to the next generations that deserve a future with inclusive peace and development."  said Ellirie Aviles, SKC National President and Chiarman of Rotary Satellite Club of Fort Bonifacio Global City Titans.

DOE Petroleum Contracting Roadshow Goes to Palawan

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Caron Lascano delivers her opening remarks during the local road show of the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program for Petroleum at The Legend Palawan Hotel on Thursday, 20 September 2018.

The PCECP local road show for petroleum aims to assist the country attain its goal of energy self-sufficiency by introducing its new contracting program for exploration and development investment opportunities.

Following the kick-off of the Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCECP) international roadshow in Singapore last month, the Department of Energy (DOE) geared up even further and conducted the first of its three local roadshows yesterday (20 September) in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

“The DOE is actively promoting the PCECP as it will ensure both the energy security and self-sufficiency of our country. Our petroleum exploration and development activities have been feeble, considering our last major find was made a decade ago,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.

DOE officials and members of the DOE-Energy Resource Development Bureau gave the roadshow participants an overview of the country’s upstream petroleum industry, the PCECP and its application process, as well as the benefits to be reaped from hosting energy exploration and development projects.

The PCECP is the DOE’s revised and transparent petroleum service contract awarding mechanism that would allow investors to bid for exploration projects through the competitive selection process or by nomination.

Previously, prospective investors could only develop petroleum exploration and development projects within the 14 Pre-Determined Areas (PDA) identified by the DOE. These 14 PDAs are composed of onshore and offshore sites located in the Cagayan Basin (one area), Eastern Palawan (three areas), Sulu (three areas), Agusan-Davao (two areas), Cotabato (one area) and in Western Luzon (four areas).

Under the PCECP, investors would now be able to develop locations other than those on the PDA list by nominating their areas of interest, subject to the approval by the DOE.

The event was attended by over 120 participants, comprised of petroleum service contractors, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Members, petroleum engineering students of Palawan State University, as well as representatives from the Philippine Coast Guard, local government units of Palawan, Department of Interior and Local Government–Palawan, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office and the Philippine Navy.

The next roadshows are scheduled to be held in Davao next week (27 September) and in Zamboanga next month (October).

The PCECP will be formally launched in November. 

Interested parties may contact:
DOE Undersecretary Donato D. Marcos
(+632) 892-7880
uddm7@yahoo.com

ERDB OIC-Director Melita V. Obillo
melita.obillo@doe.gov.ph

ERDB Supervising Science Research Specialist Demujin F. Antiporda
demujin.antiporda@doe.gov.ph