Kahlil Stefano: 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