Just a few days before the said event, I have already planned to back out. Haven't been feeling the usual me and my period was coming up. Fortunately, that one person namely , who can always motivate me to join our Hive meetups, onboardings, and events has yet again pushed me to say yes to this one. He said he needed me to be there to be his "spokesperson" when in reality he can always hold his own. And so here I am.
The event was held at Ayala Malls, Central Bloc, IT Park. The theme, โWeb3: The New Internet โ A Debate on Web3 Adoption in the Philippines,โ. It was said to start at 5:00 pm. I was late (or so I thought) since I came from my hometown, San Remigio which was a 3-hour drive. Then I had a pitstop at home to freshen up. At least, I still managed to look fabulous! While I was on my way there, I asked to save up a seat for me.
When I arrived at the venue, the place was already filled with participants. The event hasn't started yet. I know I said before that crowded places now overwhelm me but somehow I managed to stay grounded. I then looked for familiar faces and they all were beaming with smiles as I approached them. When I got settled on my seat and saw we had 40 minutes to spare, we decided to approach the booths and perhaps catch up with .
I've met ,
, and
at their DBUZZ booth who were very hands-on and engaging with us.
Seeing Nathan was quite busy discussing Hive and Dbuzz with the other booth visitors, I went to the food stalls together with Kim stationed at the back for some snacks and drinks to fill up my growling tummy. Good thing there were many options to choose from. We had some delicious corndog from I-Cha and fruit juices from Dairy Palms.
THE DIFFERENT WEB3 PLATFORMS
The program started around 6:00 pm and was hosted by Kish Morales. She managed the program flow well with her lively disposition. Though at the start, when she asked the audience which ones were students, there were only a few responses. I didn't manage to look behind if there were a lot who raised their hands. I then realized later on that their target market was students since the organizer was from Bitskwela. This event would be great if held in universities in the future.
There were 5 Keynote speakers and each was probably given 15 minutes each to deliver their part. Somehow it felt like those 15 minutes should have been enough IF they were asked to share just the tip of the iceberg of what their platform is all about. The timekeeper was constantly notifying the speakers that their time is up. Anyways, the flow was this:
Bitskwela speaker Aaron discussed the basics of Web 3.0 which he delivered well. Simple enough for any person who doesn't have the prior knowledge to grasp its basic concept.
of Sphera Solutions shared about the Web3 community they built here in Cebu. A space where all Web3 developers, innovators, and users in Cebu gather and discuss.
We then have who shared about Hive and the ecosystem which he delivered well. A part of his presentation was a video that wasn't shown due to internet issues at the place. Though the organizers could have downloaded it beforehand.
Jeffrey of Bitget discussed their crypto exchange platform. Unfortunately, he could have been more concise with his presentation since time wasn't on his side.
Crypto Pareh, some hottie who had charming looks and distracting biceps, discussed Tekkon. Since I came from the construction industry and was a civil engineer who used to dream about doing good for the public through those civil works (but was hit with the reality that it was completely the opposite in real life, well for the case here in the Philippines), I was intrigued by this platform since it tackles about infrastructures.
"TEKKON is a Web3 app that promotes social good by empowering users (citizens) to help fix their local communityโs infrastructure. Users (Citizens) can earn a token by posting and reviewing infrastructure data." Source
However, though, Crypto Pareh missed on sharing how their app was able to "help fix their local community", like who or how those damaged manholes and power poles will be fixed. I was so bummed out by the end of his presentation that I kept complaining to , a fellow civil engineer. Because personally, this platform would be a huge benefit for the Philippines.
Well, I missed the chance to ask him later on for a date about this dilemma and I found the answer to my question on their whitepaper. It is an amazing Web 3.0 platform that has already done its purpose in Japan. Hoping it would do the same here in the Philippines.
Since we are already talking about infrastructure, I have been complaining to that I could feel the vibrations on the floor the whole time. Both he and
shared the same sentiments. And from an engineering perspective, it means a lot of things and one would be how unsafe that part of the mall is. It made me uneasy throughout the event. ๐
The last speaker was Jearon Wong eagerly shared about the CoinW exchange.
ARE YOU BEARISH OR BULLISH
The Web 3.0 debate followed. I was looking forward to this part of the program because of the wisdom I would get from each debater (Well, most of them). Good thing, was right beside me to also share my sentiments at that time.
Donald Lim from the Blockchain Council of the Philippines and Giu Comia, content creator shared their insights on whether (1) it is easier to commit malicious activities in Web3.0.
The next topic was whether (2) Web3 play-to-earn gaming is a passing fad was an interesting prompt and the debaters Miranda Miner and Tyrone Bretana exchanged important points of their perspectives on it though it ended up focusing on the Axie game as the only example.
Prompt (3) Cryptocurrencies should be used as modes of payment for goods.
๐ What stuck with me was when Donald Lim was Bullish on this one because of his experiences of inviting speakers from abroad only having crypto to use for spending. I'm bullish on this one since we have already been doing it here on Hive even between our small communities.
Prompt (4) Web3 advocates for transparency, but in doing so, it can violate privacy
๐ I'm bearish on this one. It goes back to me as a user being responsible enough for what I will share on any platform.
Prompt (5) The government should fully regulate Web3 products and projects.
๐ This is such an intriguing topic and the debaters were on point about their bearish and bullish opinions. The bullish side stated how it's tiring to be constantly chased by the SEC and the bearish side stated how the government does not need be keeping tabs on Web3 programs or products.
Prompt (6) Web3 does not need to be fully decentralized
๐ Should this even be a topic? I mean the mere fact that it's "Web 3.0", is already decentralized". Why should there be the question if it should be 50%, 80%, or 100% decentralized? Just can't quite wrap my brains on this one though.
Overall, the debate was great and informative though I was wanting more. If only they had allotted more time for it but I understand that going deeper with the topics would mean targeting those who already have background about the Web3 world. And this debate was but enough as another "tip of the iceberg" information/presentation due to its current market audience at that time.
After the program, I, , and
were able to catch up with
.
We then headed out for a sumptuous dinner with our fellow Hive participants.
Overall, this was an amazing experience! Hearing insights from experienced Web3 and Crypto enthusiasts, I've learned a lot which was my main goal for coming besides being Kim's said spokesperson. This event left me with curiosity about how WEB3 will soon thrive in communities and schools here in Cebu or in our country in the next years to come.
Congratulations and to the rest of the
team for representing Hive on this event here in Cebu.
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