July 8, 2015 – Habagat may have brought torrential rains but this did not stop the students from the college of Information Technology of Southville International School and Colleges (SISC) to help in preparing for the Internet Society’s (ISOC) Intercommunity 2015, the first virtual meeting of the global society.
Hosted from SkyCity in Auckland and collocated with InternetNZ NetHui conference, the Intercommunity 2015 aims to celebrate the Internet’s ability to rise beyond boundaries and bring people together. Forums were set up across the different hubs from Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America and Europe. In two and a half hours, the event had presentations, discussions, and brainstorms about how to maintain an open and neutral Internet for everyone. Topics included the rise of “Mobile Internet”, the need for “Collaborative Governance” and the approach to “Collaborative Security”.
The hubs from each of the continent featured panelists coming from the various sectors of society. The Manila hub had the presence of Ms. Ranna Maih Pintor (Foundation for Economic Freedom), Atty. Roy Ibay (Smart/PLDT), Director Edgardo Cabarrios (National Telecommunications Commission) and Engr. Pierre Tito Galla (Democracy.net.ph) and Ms. Grace Mirandilla-Santos as the panel moderator.
Originally, the Manila hub was to be held at Farber Hall Function Room, Ateneo de Manila University. Due to the bad weather, Ateneo de Manila University suspended its classes and offices. The Internet Society of the Philippines had to implement last minute changes such as changing the venue from Ateneo function hall to the DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) training room along C. P. Garcia Avenue near the corner of Katipunan Ave. The IT students of SISC manned the registration and the ushered the participants to the event room. At the end of the day, the Intercommunity 2015 in the Philippines was able to gracefully recover from the event planning nightmare. Quoted from the ISOC PH‘s Facebook page, “ The almost instinctive, selfless willingness to help out, to make things better, each contributing as best they can. It was, in its own hectic, helter-skelter, ad hoc fashion, a testimonial to what the spirit of the Internet is all about.”
Written by Jozeff Perez
