Trip to Manila (FTS Major Field Trip)

University of Southeastern Philippines

Bo. Obrero, Davao City

TRAVEL REPORT

September 7 – 11, 2015

Seminar Overview

As partial fulfillment for the requirements of the course Field Trips and Seminars, 81 students from the University of Southeastern Philippines Institute Of Computing, including me, embarked on a trip to Manila and its neighboring environs.

We left Davao City via Davao International Airport on 7^th September 2015 at about 5:45 in the morning. Our flight was Cebu Pacific 5J 962. We arrived at the Ninoy Aquino Intenational Airport at about 7:30 in the morning. We left the airport a few minutes later.

We were picked by two buses courtesy of Maynilad Tours and Educational Services, the travel agency we contracted. Our first destination was McDonald’s Newport. We ate out breakfast there.  We then headed to the national office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). We ate lunch at Kenny Roger’s East Avenue. After that, we proceeded to the head office of Social Security System (SSS). After our seminar there, we ate dinner at Tramway Buffet at Timog Avenue, Quezon City. After that we headed back to the hotel (Kabayan Hotel).

8^th of September 2015, we started our day by eating breakfast at our hotel. After that, we proceeded to PLDT InnoLab at Mandaluyong City Philippines. We then ate lunch at the bus. After that, we headed to IBM Philippines. After our visit there, we had our dinner at Great Eastern Hotel, Makati. Then we headed back to the hotel and had some rest.

We attended the Y4IT convention on the 9^th of September 2015. The Y4IT convention is believed to be the largest gathering of IT students, professionals, and enthusiasts. We started the day by eating our breakfast at the hotel. We had a brief tour of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex before heading to the SMX Convention Center. Upon arriving there, we registered for the event. We spent half of the day listening to the speakers and visiting the booths inside the convention center. We ate lunch at Taste Asia at SM Mall of Asia. After eating our lunch, we went back to SMX. After the convention, we headed to Tutuban Mall. We shopped there for a while and ate our dinner there as well. After that, we headed back to the hotel.

10^th of September 2015 marked the 4^th day of our field trip in Manila. We started the day by eating our breakfasts to the hotel.  After that, we headed to the MMDA Metrobase at Makati City. We spent half of the day there and then proceeded to Tagaytay City to eat out lunch. We had a brief moment to experience the beauty of the Taal Volcano. After that, we went to the Enchanted Kingdom at Sta. Rosa, Laguna. After days of constant stress, having that small leisure time was heavenly. After that, we headed back to our hotel to eat dinner and have some rest.

The last day of the trip was the 11^th of September 2015. We all woke up early to prepare our thing for our departure for Davao City later. After that, we ate breakfast at the hotel and then proceeded to UP Diliman’s Department of Computer Science. We toured their building and they showed us some of their equipment. After the tour, we headed to Icon Hotel to eat our lunch. We then went to Resorts World Manila for one last leisure time. After that, we headed to the airport and waited for our flight. Our flight was supposed to leave the airport at 9:00 pm but it was delayed.

Day 1

Today, I went on a seminar to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) main office at the DOST compound, Bicutan, Taguig and the Social Security System (SSS) main office at East Avenue, Quezon City.

What I learned?

It was my first time to visit a government office here in the national capital region. I had high expectations and somehow, my visit to both offices met those expectations. When we arrived at DOST, we were lead to the Information and Communications Technology Office. We were welcomed by their staff and so began the seminar. The speaker wanted to speak about E-commerce here in the Philippines but he spoke about Project NOAH instead. He started by asking us the difference between a calamity and a disaster. He said that a calamity is something that can cause harm and suffering while a disaster is something that caused destruction. He then introduced Project NOAH to us. Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) is the DOST’s response to the call of President Benigno S. Aquino III for a more accurate, integrated, and responsive disaster prevention and mitigation system, especially in high-risk areas throughout the Philippines. According to the speaker, Pres. Aquino got tired of hearing about numerous casualties every time the country experiences a disaster so he tasked DOST to create something that would improve the countries risk reduction capabilities.

Currently, Project NOAH has eight components namely:

·         Distribution of Hydrometeorological Devices in hard-hit areas in the Philippines

·         Disaster Risk Exposure Assessment for Mitigation – Light Detection and Ranging (DREAM-LIDAR) Project

·         Enhancing Geohazards Mapping through LIDAR

·         Coastal Hazards and Storm Surge Assessment and Mitigation (CHASSAM)

·         Flood Information Network (FloodNET) Project

·         Local Development of Doppler Radar Systems

·         Landslide Sensors Development Project, and

·         Weather Hazard Information Project (WHIP)

DOST, in partnership with different government agencies, uses these projects to help Filipinos prepare for upcoming calamities and disasters.

After the seminar at DOST, we headed to the SSS main office. The lecture was divided into two parts. During the first part, the speaker discussed about the history and duties of the agency, and the benefits of being an SSS member. During this part of the lectures, we received some tips that would help us when we become professionals someday.  During the second part, the speaker discussed about the history of the agency’s ICT division. Unlike the in the first part, we learned about things that are IT related during this part.

What I liked?

There were a lot of things I liked about the seminars that happened that day. One of it was the fact that both government agencies made an effort in preparing for our visit. They also gave us some publications after the seminars. Another is both discussed some very important topics that are related to our field of study. I also liked it when we found out that the speaker that would discuss about Project NOAH was from Mindanao. Knowing that he is a Mindanaoan made it easier for us to communicate with him.

What I didn’t like?

I really liked the first day of our trip and for me, there was nothing unlikeable about it. There were some things that isn’t really good like when SSS gave us a publication about their 2013 annual report instead of the latest one but I did not really care about it. Al least I had something to read while on the bus.

DAY 2

Today, I went on a seminar to PLDT InnoLab at Mandaluyong City and IBM Philippines at the UP-Ayala Techno-Hub, Quezon City.

What I learned?

I learned a lot of things on this day. While we were on PLDT InnoLab, we were welcomed by one of PLDT’s official. She told us the basic things that we need to know about the PLDT InnoLab. Its main purpose is to hatch new ideas and innovate existing ones for the benefit of the people. It has four main functions: Engineering, Product and Development, Sales, and Market. After discussing about it, we had a tour of the place. We even went to their “control center” where they monitor the network flow and network conditions of the areas they serve. They also tackled about their latest offerings like the new PLDT Fibr and FamCam.

 After touring PLDT InnoLab, we ate lunch and proceeded to IBM Philippines. We were welcomed by Dr. Pantola. He discussed a lot of interesting things. First, he introduced us to cloud computing.

According to Dr. Pantola, cloud computing has three services namely:

·         Software as a Service (SaaS),

·         Platform as a Service (PaaS), and

·         Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

The difference between the three is what they provide to us. In Software as a service, you don’t have to purchase, install and maintain a software. Software service providers do it for you. An example of SaaS is Google Docs. Platform as a service provides your needs in developing applications in the cloud. According to the IBM website, in infrastructure as a Service, you rent a cloud infrastructure – servers, storage, and networking – on demand, on a pay-as-you-go model. It’s basically like having a virtual machine.

What I liked?

A lot of interesting things happened this day. From our planned tour at PLDT InnoLab the lecture at IBM Philippines, almost everything was good. What I really liked about it was the fact that both companies taught us a lot of new things that are not only related to our field, but are also very important to our future in our studies. Both companies also discussed very important points that helps keep us informed with the latest technologies present today.

What I didn’t like?

If there was one thing I didn’t like about our seminars on this day, it would be the responses of the person touring us at PLDT. She was a good speaker but there was this time that we asked her about the state of the internet here in the Philippines. Instead of discussing the real problems of the internet here in the country, she just said to us that we should pay more if we want faster internet speeds.  I thought her answer was very disappointing. She literally endorsed expensive PLDT products instead of answering our questions directly. Other than that, I really liked the activities that happened on this day.

DAY 3

On September 9, 2015, we spent our whole day at SMX Convention Center attending the Youth for Information Technology convention. In is said to be the largest gathering of IT students, professionals and enthusiasts in the country.

What I learned?

Attending the Y4IT convention has taught me a lot of things. It showed me how amazing technology has developed these days. I was very impressed when person talking for Microsoft introduced the Microsoft HoloLens to the audience.

Another thing that really caught my attention was the discussion about Internet Neutrality. Net neutrality, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “the principle that internet service providers should enable access to all content and application regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.” Mr. Al Alegre, the speaker who discussed this topic, made it very clear to us that internet neutrality is not evident here in our country.  Philippine internet service providers do not practice internet neutrality by providing zero-rated services. An example of this is Smart’s Safezone. Safezone is an app that lets you browse some sites like Facebook for free. It may be a good thing to others but we must bear in mind that there is more to internet than Facebook. Safezone only offers them (the limited number of sites) for free because they are in partnership with the companies that owns such websites. It makes it difficult for other applications or websites to offer their services knowing that some ISPs favor other apps more than theirs. ISPs could also abuse their position by providing better services for contents from their sister companies (for example, Smart’s Iflix) while providing mediocre to poor quality of service to their competitor’s.

What I liked?

Attending one of the largest IT gatherings here in country was one of the best things that happened on this trip. I really like the fact that I was able to hear the latest technology news and issues from very good speakers. Other than the seminar, I also enjoyed roaming around SM Mall of Asia. It was not my first time there but it was my first time without relatives accompanying me. It made me feel more responsible about myself.

What I didn’t like?

As much as I enjoyed the Y4IT convention, I still thought that the event could’ve been better. I was a bit underwhelmed by it. It didn’t meet my expectations. I put the fault on myself because I might just have unrealistic expectations.

DAY 4

Today, I went on a seminar to MMDA Traffic Engineering Metrobase. We also went to Tagaytay City and Enchanted Kingdom for some leisure time.

What I learned?

I learned a lot of thing on our visit to MMDA. Their speakers told us things about how engineering and information technology works in their agency. They told us that because of the two, MMDA has been able to control traffic lights, monitor the traffic using censors, and monitor the metro with their high-tech CCTVs. The speakers also told us about how crucial the agency’s job is.

What I liked?

Our visit to MMDA was quite pleasing. I liked the fact that one of the speakers that spoke in front of us was an engineer. Because of that, we were able to ask some technical questions and he was able to respond well. Our visit to their agency was very informative. I also like the fact that they accepted some criticisms that some of us threw to them. They said that they accept everything that could help better their services.

Apart from the seminar, what I really like about this day is that we get to spend time to have fun. Our trip to Tagaytay City was stress relieving, given that we've been stresses the day that we arrived at Manila. Our trip to Enchanted Kingdom was an escape for us. We didn't think about anything that could stress us out. We just had fun. Very good memories were made in this day.

What I didn’t like?

I liked the events on this day very much. Nothing unlikeable happened. For me, the 4^th day of our trip to Manila was the best day on this trip.

DAY 5

Today, I went on a seminar to the UP Diliman Department of Computer Science.

What I learned?

I learned a thing or two on my visit to UP CS department. Their department focuses on these seven expertise of computer science:

1.      Algorithms and Complexity

2.      Computer Security

3.      Computer Vision and Machine Intelligence

4.      Networks and Distributed Systems

5.      Scientific Computing

6.      Service Science and Software Engineering

7.      Web Science.

The speakers (and some students) also discussed the ideas of some of their theses like the theoretical part of computer science, enhancement of security enterprise, bioinformatives, computational intelligence, computer networks, database, and software management.

What I liked?

The speakers’ discussion about some their theses has helped some of us think of ideas that we could use when we begin writing our papers. I am also in awe on how well equipped their laboratories are.

What I didn’t like?

Just like the Y4IT convention, I was a bit underwhelmed by our visit to UP Department of Computer Science. I felt like they didn’t prepare for our visit. But again, I put the fault on myself because I think I might just had very high expectations.

APPENDIX

RECOMMENDATION

The field trip wouldn’t have been successful without the officers of this subject. They did their best to give us an amazing FTS experience. The trip in general was successful and fulfilling but there were times where we encountered some problems. These said problems could’ve been avoided if the officers had better coordination with the participants of the trip, the travel agency and their fellow officers. If this kind of things is to be avoided, I highly recommend that the officers of the next FTS batch, while still planning for the trip, must correct what must be corrected and finalize what must be finalized.

My advised top those who will take their advance seminar program in the near future.

The course Field Trips and Seminars is a very important. In the course of our field trip, we were exposed to life outside of the classroom. We have learned a lot. For those who may be reluctant in taking this course because of the cost, I assure you that you’ll get what you pay for.

PICTURES

Day 1

My friends and I at Davao International Airport

The whole class at Davao International Airport.

The whole class at DOST, Bicutan, Taguig City.

The whole class attending a seminar at SSS Main Office.

DETOUR - A visit to the famous Big Brother House.

DAY 2

(Half of) The class at PLDT InnoLab, Mandaluyong City.

LAUGHS - Having fun at PLDT InnoLab

LIKE A BOSS - at PLDT InnoLab board room.

My frinds and I at IBM Philippines.

At IBM Philippines with one of our advisers, Engr. Ariel Pabilona.

DAY 3

DETOUR - A visit to Luneta Park

Groufie with the Philippine flag.

Waiting for the bus to arrive outside SMX Convention Center.

DAY 4

The class listening to the speaker at MMDA Metrobase.

Group shot at MMDA Metrobase.

CHILL - My friends and I chilling at Tagaytay City.

Enchanted kingdom!

DAY 5

The class at UP Diliman.

UP Diliman Department of Computer Science

Meeting 4

During the 4th FTS meeting, the officers discussed about the cost of model A and the itinerary of our trip to Manila, should it be approved by the university president.

The officers started the meeting by reiterating that choosing model A would mean we would be spending a lot of money. They then presented to us the estimated cost of our trip to Manila. I was not shocked to see the amount that each of us needed to raise because I was present during the first meeting and it was already stated that we would be spending around Php 21,000.00. After discussing the cost, the officers presented to us the tentative itinerary of our trip. Since it was just tentative, they also asked us if we could suggest any companies or places that we want to visit. Other documents that were part of the requirements were also collected today. 

Meeting 3

The third meeting for our FTS course was very important. During that day, we discussed all points that needed to be discussed about model A, the model most of us chose. The officers stated that model A is still not final because we still needed to have our field trip approved by the university president but the possibility that we would be using it is very high. They discussed to us the pros and cons of the said model so we can really weigh and think if we made the right decisions.

Meeting 2

The second FTS meeting took place on March 27, 2015. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss about the Models we would be taking for this course. 

I wasn't able to attend this meeting because of some unfortunate reasons. I wasn't here in Davao City because something happened in the province. But I knew that the officers were going to collect the model waivers on this day. The model waivers contained the decisions each of us made regarding what model we would be following. I was not present in the meeting but I asked some of my classmates that attended what happened during it. They said that model A had the most number of votes. That was fine for me because I was also rooting for model A. I submitted my model waiver a few days later.

Meeting 1

The very first Field Trip and Seminars meeting for the year 2015-2016 took place way last March 4, 2015 on the IC Laboratory 2. On that day, people who were thinking of joining the said course were oriented about the important things about it.

Facilitating the meeting was Ms. Iana Kristine Yu. She was the FTS president of the 2014-2015 batch. She explained to us the important points of this course. She also presented some of the things that happened on their trip last year. She also pointed out that if we want to have a successful trip like the one they had, we had to elect competent officers. We then proceeded to the election of officers. After several minutes we have elected the officers of out batch and Dr. Gamboa ended the meeting by saying some words of wisdom to us.

Team Building Activity

            As part of the preparations for our field trips and seminars, all of us, students enrolled in the course are required to undergo a 10-hour interpersonal activity. The said activity aims to acquaint us to our classmates before we leave for our trip to Manila and its neighboring cities. The first time I heard about this, I was a bit disgusted. I know that the said activity aims to help us develop our social and interpersonal skills but to be honest, I never liked participating in team building activities. For me, a self-proclaimed introvert, team building activities are a scourge upon earth. They isolate people like me, a population of profoundly valuable individuals who like to solve problems on their own or in close groups of equally calm and thoughtful people. Making us participate in goofy, trivial games that are clearly irrelevant to the work at hand, highlights our sense of feeling fundamentally different and separated. But what can I do? Every student must join the activity.

            Finally, 21^st of July 2015 has arrived. It is the day of our interpersonal skills and team building activity which was held at the University Hostel conference room. It is located at the second floor of the University Hostel building and it was the first time I entered that room. As usual, I arrived there early, having doubts if I would survive the day. Everybody had someone to talk with, except me, just as I had expected. I wrote my name in the attendance sheet and sat down on a chair near the corner of the room. I knew some people who were present on the event but I didn’t want to be with them because we were not close. I only wanted to sit with my friends, which were still nowhere to be found at that time. I waited for a good 30 minutes, alone, before a friend of mine arrived. My friend and I shared the same feeling towards this event. We sat down on our chairs while quietly observing other participants of the event. It seemed that all, but us, are excited for the event. Time went by and the facilitator of the event has arrived. The room was filled with people I barely know. We started the event a few moments later.

            Shortly after the facilitator arrived, our team building activity began. We started off with our first activity. We were divided into groups with at least eight members each. Fortunately, one of my friend was my group mate. I felt a bit relieved knowing that I have someone to talk to through this entire activity. When the grouped was asked to form a circle, I realized that all of my group mates and I belong to the same course. It felt very good to know that I already know my group mates. At least I didn’t have to undergo the awkward and painful process introducing myself to them. Since we were already familiar with each other, we had no problems doing the task given to us by the facilitator. We were asked to write in a piece of Manila paper our expectations for the activities that we would be conducting on that day, the things that we could contribute to our groups and how we were feeling that day. Each of us wrote his or her answers to a piece of paper and then we assigned a group secretary. She was tasked to compile our answers and write them on the Manila paper given to us. While our group secretary was writing, I had the chance to talk to some of my group mates. They seemed nice. We talked about lots of thing like how this activity would go on for the rest of the day, are we excited for our field trip and why most of us were sick during that day. Our conversation was long and we shared a lot of laughs. There is something about that conversation that felt natural. I thought that I must have forgotten what it feels to have a nice and funny conversation with people I don’t really know because for a very long time I was avoiding talking to them. It may sound cliché but it is actually true. After talking to each other, one of my group mates went in front of the class and presented our group’s answers to the questions given to us. After that activity, almost all of the groups had similar answers. All were looking forward to socializing with others.

            We proceeded to do our second activity. That time, we were divided into groups with five members each. And that time, I didn’t know my group mates. I have never talked to them yet and it felt very awkward. We were asked to form a circle and we received the instruction from the facilitator. Prior to that, we were given a piece of paper with drawings of different people on it. We were asked to encircle one of the people that we think suits us the most or what describes our personalities the best. After that, we formed our groups then did what the facilitator instructed us to do. We have to share to our group mates why we chose that specific person. Our group then went on with the activity. I was the first one to share about the person I encircled. From the drawings from the paper, I chose to encircle the guy sitting by the tree branch alone and doing nothing. I felt that I was like that guy. I am an easy-going person and I am the kind of person that prefers to be alone. I am also the kind of guy that goes with the flow most of the time. I was expecting that my group mates encircled different and they did but one of them also encircled the same person that I chose. She then explained why she chose that person and we both have similar reasons. My other group mates also shared their reasons and stories. It was a little bit personal for some and I was actually happy that I was given the privilege to listen to them. Once again, I actually felt comfortable with my group mates. There was a part of me that wants to be close friends with them but there is this other part that says I should not because I am a loner and I can live without befriending them.

            Our third activity happened after we took a short break. This activity was very personal. We were given a piece of paper and some coloring materials and we were asked to draw our “family dinner” using symbols. It took me a while before I started doing mine because I was not sure if I wanted to share things about my family to people I barely know. I started drawing my family dinner with hopes that I do not get to share it to all of my classmates. During that time, we were all busy drawing and roaming around. I took advantage of the situation and sat beside my friend and talked about the activity so far. We both agreed that it is better than what we've expected. We actually had a little fun. I had high hopes that it would remain fun until the end of the day but I was wrong. When we were finished drawing our family dinner, the facilitator began calling some students to share about what they drew. I was confident that I won’t be called because so far, I have managed to avoid being spotted by our facilitator. But once again, I was wrong. She called my name and asked me what I have realized while doing the activity. I was nervous. I wasn’t sure if I would tell the truth or feed them a bunch lies. All of them were looking at me. That was a very tense moment for me but I told them the truth. I explained to them why I drew my family dinner like that. The facilitator got curious and asked me to elaborate. So I did. I told them my sad family story. After that, I didn’t even know what exactly happened because I was still recovering from the awkward moment I just had. I just knew that the facilitator called another name and by the time she was done talking we had our lunch.

            After eating lunch, we headed back to the University Hostel conference room to continue our team activity. When all of us were already there, we started our fourth activity. The fourth activity, for me, was the highlight of the entire team building session. We were once again divided into groups with at least eight members, preferably the same group we had in our first activity. The groups were asked to present their own group identity but there was a twist. Each group would present theirs differently. Some groups were to present it by singing, rapping and others shall present theirs by acting or dancing. We were to presents ours in the form of an advertisement. After receiving the instructions, we formed a circle and started planning. Each group member had a specific role to play for our presentation to be successful. We had some disagreements but we sorted it out in the end. One of us assumed the position of the leader and we gladly followed him because we felt that he was leading our group into doing something good. We respected each other’s ideas. After planning, we a practiced for a few minutes and then we were ready to go. We were the third ones to present. Though it wasn’t the best presentation of the day, we were proud because a bunch of strangers were able to pull off a presentation like that.

            We ended the activities by saying a prayer and a pledge. Overall, I actually enjoyed the activity. I take back what I said about making us participate in activities are irrelevant. I have realized that the event we just underwent had benefited us. Here are some of the benefits of the team building event.

Improved Communication

            All of the team building activities we did required a lot of talking. At first it didn’t make that much sense but now I know why. The activities were somehow breaking down barriers between individuals. We were encouraged to talk things out so that we would be comfortable with each other. Improved communication would be very important to us when we leave for our field trips and seminars because we would be with the same people for an entire week.

Developed Team Roles

            Of all the activities we did, the fourth activity was the one that really showcased our group’s teamwork. As I have stated, our presentation was successful because all of us had roles or work to do for the benefit of the group. None of us complained about it because we knew that we all had to do it. Such activity also allows each member of the team to develop and focus on what they are best at, and allow the team members to find their forte within the team so that everyone can best contribute as an individual while still performing together. One example of this was when of my group mates accepted the role of being a leader. He knew that he can lead our group well so he stepped up. These kind of things would be very important on our FTS because all of us are a team. Each one of us have to do our own part for this trip to become successful.

Better Relationships with Each Other

            Perhaps this is the most important thing the team building activities has imparted to us. Before the event started, I was very doubtful and skeptical about it. But after all four activities, I can say that I already feel close to some of my classmates. The activities had helped us develop trust with each other. It had established bonds between us. We may not be best friends but I can say that our relationship as a class improved a lot.  If one day of interpersonal activities can do that, what more can a one week trip to Manila do?