The University of Batangas (UB) Center for Business and Innovation (CBI), in partnership with Web3 Bulacan, OpenVerse, ICONS South Luzon, PDAX, Polkadot, and OpenGuild, led the Philippine Innovation Conference (PIC) 2025 on November 21 and 22, 2025, at the UB Auditorium.
UB President Lily Marlene Hernandez-Bohn opened Day 1 with a message of optimism, urging participants to “open your minds and create meaningful connections,” and expressing her hope to celebrate Filipino innovation more widely through this conference.
UB and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) – Batangas City and Lipa City Chapters signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), strengthening UB’s commitment to innovation and expanding the link between the industry and academe.
More than 500 participants joined Day 1 as PIC 2025 launched with a strong lineup of keynote speakers and panelists. The roster included Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Region IV-A Regional Director Mr. Reniel Villaflor, National Innovation Council Executive Cabinet Member Mr. Mark Sultan Gersava, CreatiVoices Productions Founder and AI VoiceMaster of the Philippines Mr. Pocholo De Leon Gonzales, UniPro Media’s Mr. Antonio “Tony” Agudo, DvCode Technologies, Inc. CEO Mr. Eliezer Rabadon, Kollab Associate Engineer Mr. Alpha Romer Coma, UXPH Managing Director and NextPay Co-Founder Mr. Aldrich Tan, Geros Group of Companies’ Mr. Jherald Espleta, JCI Batangas Caballero’s Mr. Kevin Matthew Cua, Dream Bigger Ventures’ Ms. Shumate Royo, Ask Lex PH Academy’s Dr. Felix Concepcion Veroya, PDAX’s Mr. Harry Santos, HeyApril Philippines’ Mrs. Aileen Gallinero, JCI Batangas Caballero’s Ms. Cassey Amparo, DLSU-Lipa NEXUS Enterprise Development Hub’s Ms. Aisa Mijeno-Labastilla, Playahz’ Mr. Gian Dizon, and Batangas State University’s Mr. Zymon Andrew Maquinto.
Day 2 opened with Board of Regents Chairman Atty. Jesus V. Mayo, who emphasized the role of innovation conferences in navigating rapid technological change. He highlighted the impact of PIC 2025 in helping the Philippines position itself as a rising innovation hub.
The second day featured another set of distinguished speakers and panelists: Principal Offensive Security Consultant Mr. Robin Divino, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Batangas Regional Director Ms. Marissa Argente, Maiba Studio Founder and Imagineer Mr. EL Bonuan, HeyApril Philippines’ Evans Atandi, Mr. Coma, Business Development and Advisory’s Mr. Miguel Avila, Icarus Falls’ Ms. Ashley Nicole, Idol sa Negosyo and PCCI-QC’s Ms. Nicky Dabu, VAP Group’s Mr. Carl Harvey Derez, OpenVerse Core Contributor Mr. Oliver Santos, PDAX’s Ms. Kofi Gutierrez, Men in Blockchain Founder Stephen Guasch, FHMOMS’ MK Bertulfo, and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region IV-A Regional Director Ms. Emelita Bagsit.
PIC also recognized UB’s 4th Year Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) students from the College of Information and Communications Technology (CICT), who secured 3rd Place in the Hack the Future: Smart Batangas Province Hackathon Challenge for their innovation Pro-BIN-sya, a Smart Solid Waste Management System for Batangas province. Aaron Jay Dalawampu, Samuel Gabriel Ignaco, and Rod-Rick Villafuerte are the developers under the coaching of Mrs. Bernadet Macaraig.
PIC 2025 carried the theme: ABC: AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity, underscoring the need for digital readiness and forward-thinking solutions.
This initiative strengthens UB’s alignment with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 4 (Quality Education) through technology-driven learning; SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through innovation-driven job creation; SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) through digital transformation initiatives; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through multi-sector collaborations that advance national innovation efforts.