Code Cauldron Where Concocts Creations

The first time I saw a computer, it was like magic. I was five, and this box in our Davao City home could make things appear on a screen. No internet back then, just me, my curiosity, and a machine to tinker with. My mom, a nurse, and my dad, a jeepney driver, always encouraged us kids, but this computer… this was my thing. It was a playground where I could explore and create, a world far different from our middle-class life.

When the internet finally arrived, I was ten. Suddenly, my little playground expanded into a vast universe. Technology wasn’t just for fun anymore, it was a way to build anything. I started coding, first simple tools, then programs for my classmates. Through shared passions, I found my tribe, other kids fascinated by this digital frontier. We dreamt of more than just making cool apps, we dreamt of putting Mindanao on the tech map.

That’s why I’m here, volunteering at this summit. Mindanao has the potential to be the next Silicon Valley, a melting pot of cultures ready to innovate. I see myself in these attendees, that spark of curiosity in their eyes. I want to give them the tools I had, the playground to explore, to create, to change their world. This isn’t just about code, it’s about showing Mindanao, showing the world, what we’re capable of. This summit is our cauldron, and the concoctions we create here will change everything.