Recognition Rationale

The TRAIN Tumandok Recognitions are deeply personal to me. I conceptualized this ceremony not to recognize prominence, position, or professional success, but to honor the individuals and institutions that helped build the foundations of our ICT, digital innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge economy in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.

The word Tumandok speaks of belonging. It refers to someone rooted in the community—someone whose work, values, and contributions have grown from the soil of the place and have, in turn, helped that community flourish.

As I look back on almost two decades of building and advocating for the digital ecosystem of Bacolod and Negros Occidental, I know that no transformation is ever the work of one person. Behind every program, investment, training opportunity, innovation event, new digital job, and successful collaboration are people who believed, supported, connected, opened doors, and took risks.

Some stood visibly at the front. Others worked quietly behind the scenes. Some provided leadership and resources. Others offered their time, wisdom, networks, institutions, or simply their unwavering belief that our people and communities were capable of more.

The TRAIN Tumandok Awards honor these builders.They remind us that an innovation ecosystem does not suddenly appear. It is cultivated over time by individuals and institutions willing to plant seeds even when the results may not yet be visible.

I am especially grateful to my friend Josephine Locsin, founder of Tumandok Crafts Industries, for bringing to life the plaques I envisioned and designed.

Based in Bago City, Province of Negros Occidental, Tumandok is a social enterprise that is committed to produce innovative home furnishings and furniture from indigenous materials. Their products can be seen in local stores such as Kultura, Rustan’s, Tesoro’s and Balikbayan Handicrafts.

The Tumandok Awards were presented as part of the inaugural Transformative AI Network (TRAIN) 2026 AI & Innovation Networking Week, held in Bacolod City, as a special recognition of the individuals, institutions, and communities whose contributions helped lay the foundations of our ICT, IT-BPM, digital talent, innovation, and countryside development journey. For me, it was important that even as TRAIN looked forward to AI, emerging technologies, responsible innovation, and the future of work, we also looked back with gratitude at those who helped make this future possible. TRAIN is about transformation, but transformation must remember its roots—and Tumandok was our way of honoring those roots.

Individual Awardees

Governor Alfredo G. Marañon Jr. (Posthumous)

Governor Alfredo G. Marañon Jr. is honored for his foresight and courage in investing in the digital future of Negros Occidental.

At a time when many still viewed information technology as relevant only to large metropolitan areas, Governor Marañon understood that technology, skills development, and digital employment could become powerful instruments for countryside development.

He supported investments in institutions and infrastructure that allowed Negrenses to access training, employment, and opportunities in the growing digital economy. His leadership contributed to the strengthening of NOLITC and to the establishment of the Negros First CyberCentre—initiatives that signaled that Negros Occidental was serious about becoming part of the country’s ICT and IT-BPM growth story.

These were not ordinary government projects. They represented a long-term commitment to human capital and economic transformation.

Public officials are often pressured to support programs with immediate and visible results. But genuine development requires leaders who are prepared to invest in foundations whose impact may unfold over many years. Governor Marañon demonstrated this kind of leadership.

He understood that buildings alone would not transform the province. Those facilities had to be connected with training, industry participation, investment promotion, and employment opportunities. Through these initiatives, many young Negrenses began to see that they did not always have to leave the province to pursue meaningful careers.

His legacy is found not only in physical infrastructure but in the thousands of lives touched by the opportunities that these investments helped create.

We honor him as a leader who believed that the countryside deserved a place in the digital future—and who used the power of government to help make that future possible.

John Bernard Ongsingco (Posthumous)

I remember JB Ongsingco as someone who understood that a venue could become more than a building. Under his leadership, SMX Convention Center Bacolod became a home for many important gatherings involving technology, entrepreneurship, education, investment, and community development.

For those of us who have organized conferences and ecosystem-building activities, we know that a venue partner can either treat an event as a simple commercial transaction or become part of the mission. John chose to become part of the mission.

He welcomed initiatives that brought people together to exchange knowledge, build partnerships, and imagine new possibilities for Bacolod and Negros Occidental. He saw the potential of the city as a destination for conventions, business events, and innovation gatherings long before this potential was fully appreciated.

His support allowed many important conversations to take place. Inside the spaces he helped manage, students met industry leaders, entrepreneurs encountered new opportunities, government officials engaged with communities, and local innovators were given platforms to be seen and heard.

Through this posthumous award, we honor JB not only for managing a convention center, but for helping provide a physical home for ideas, relationships, and movements that strengthened our local innovation ecosystem.

His legacy reminds us that every ecosystem needs welcoming spaces—and people willing to open those spaces for a greater purpose.

John Anthony Ledesma (Posthumous)

John Anthony Ledesma was a connector, an entrepreneur, and a community leader who believed in bringing people together.

Through his work at the Bacolod Employers Union (BEU) with business and entrepreneurial communities, he helped create opportunities for local entrepreneurs to meet, exchange experiences, raise concerns, and explore ways of working together. He understood that entrepreneurship can sometimes be a lonely journey, and that business owners become stronger when they are connected to a supportive community.

I remember his willingness to participate in conversations involving local economic development, innovation, consumer welfare, and the future of entrepreneurship. He brought the practical voice of the business sector into discussions that needed to be grounded in the realities experienced by entrepreneurs every day.

John Anthony’s contribution was not limited to the businesses he established or the organizations he helped lead. His greater contribution was his ability to build relationships and encourage collaboration among people who might otherwise have remained disconnected.

He believed that progress happens when entrepreneurs stop seeing one another only as competitors and begin recognizing themselves as partners in building a stronger local economy.

Through this posthumous recognition, we honor his spirit of enterprise, generosity, and community leadership. We remember a man who understood that business is not merely about individual success. It is also about creating value, strengthening communities, and helping others find opportunities to grow.

Andrew Regalado

Andrew Regalado is recognized for being a consistent supporter, adviser, connector, and believer in the potential of Bacolod and Negros Occidental.

There are individuals whose contributions cannot always be measured by the number of programs they have formally led or the titles they have held. Their value lies in their willingness to listen, provide guidance, open connections, share perspectives, and encourage others to continue.

Andrew has been one of these steady sources of support as one of the pillars of the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Informatiion and Communications Technology (BNEFIT). Ecosystem builders need people who can look at an idea honestly, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and help improve it. They also need individuals who are willing to make introductions, connect people with the right institutions, and lend credibility to initiatives that are still developing.

I will always be grateful to Andrew, who approached me in 2004, when I was just beginning my journey as a city councilor, and inspired me to work toward building another industry beyond our traditional dependence on sugar—an encounter that helped set me on a path I could never have imagined then, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In many movements, there are people who appear only when success has already become visible. Andrew represents those who offer support even during the uncertain stages—when an initiative remains an idea, a proposal, or a hope.

We honor him because strong ecosystems are built not only by those who lead from the front, but also by those who strengthen the people around them. His recognition is a tribute to the value of mentorship, counsel, friendship, and quiet confidence in a shared vision.

Anthony Visitacion

Anthony Visitacion represents the spirit of the volunteer, the communicator, and the creative collaborator who helps movements become visible and meaningful.

Throughout our many years of ICT and innovation advocacy, Anthony has generously shared his time, talent, energy, and communication skills. He has helped us tell stories, document milestones, organize activities, and bring people together.

Ecosystem building is not composed only of policy meetings, large investments, or formal programs. It also depends on people who are willing to do the difficult, detailed, and often unseen work required to make every initiative succeed. Anthony has been one of those people.

He understands the importance of communication in building a community. A program may be excellent, but unless its message is clearly expressed, people may never understand its purpose. An event may produce inspiring ideas, but unless those stories are captured and shared, their impact may quickly disappear.

Through his creativity and dedication, Anthony helped preserve many moments in the growth of our local ICT and innovation movement. He helped transform activities into stories and stories into sources of inspiration for others.

His Tumandok medallion beautifully symbolizes this contribution: roots anchored in the community, a tree growing upward, and branches extending toward a connected world.

We recognize Anthony because he has consistently used his gifts in the service of something larger than himself. His contribution reminds us that talent becomes more meaningful when it is shared, and that service offered quietly can have an impact far greater than we sometimes realize.

Engr. Engiemar Tupas

Engr. Engiemar Tupas is recognized for his sustained contribution to MSME development, entrepreneurship, investment promotion, industry development, and technology-enabled enterprise growth.

Through his work with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), he has helped connect government programs with local entrepreneurs, enterprises, industry groups, and communities. He has been part of the important work of translating national programs into opportunities that local businesses can actually understand and access.

Our ICT enterprises and investors face many challenges: limited access to local markets, and gaps in technology, financing, mentorship, digital skills, and reliable business information. Government officials who work closely with entrepreneurs must therefore be more than program administrators. They must become facilitators, connectors, and advocates.

Engiemar has demonstrated this commitment by supporting initiatives that encourage enterprises to innovate, adopt technology, improve their competitiveness, and participate in broader economic opportunities.

He has also supported programs that connect entrepreneurship with digital transformation and workforce development. This is important because the future of IT and MSMEs will increasingly depend on their ability to use data, digital platforms, automation, electronic commerce, and emerging technologies. His participation in collaborative programs reflects his willingness to work beyond institutional boundaries.

We recognize Engiemar because he represents the government partner every ecosystem needs: one who listens to the private sector, understands local realities, and helps turn government resources into meaningful opportunities for commun

Dr. Frances Mae Llamas

Dr. Frances Mae Llamas is recognized for her leadership in advancing investment promotion, innovation, local economic development, and public-private collaboration in Bacolod City.

I have seen how demanding the work of economic and investment promotion can be. It requires the ability to understand government systems, engage the private sector, communicate with investors, support local enterprises, and coordinate with numerous institutions—all while navigating changing economic conditions.

Dr. Mae has helped sustain Bacolod’s engagement with businesses, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovation stakeholders. She has supported efforts to position the city as a competitive destination for ICT investment, digital industries, and entrepreneurial activity.

More importantly, she recognizes that investment promotion is not merely about attracting large companies. It is also about creating an environment where local entrepreneurs, startups, creatives, and innovators can participate in economic growth.

Her work has helped strengthen the city’s collaboration with the IT-BPM sector and contributed to initiatives that provide platforms for entrepreneurship and innovation. Through programs supporting local enterprise and innovation spaces, she has helped create bridges between government resources and the aspirations of citizens.

Dr. Mae represents the kind of public servant who understands that economic development must be inclusive, collaborative, and forward-looking.

Her recognition under the TRAIN Tumandok Awards acknowledges her role in ensuring that Bacolod does not merely wait for opportunities to arrive. Instead, the city actively prepares, promotes, builds partnerships, and creates the conditions necessary for opportunities to grow.

Institutional and Organizational Awardees

City of San Carlos

San Carlos City is recognized for its sustained commitment to digital inclusion through the development and expansion of multiple Tech4ED Centers, bringing access to ICT, digital learning, government services, skills development, and livelihood opportunities closer to communities.

By establishing Tech4ED Centers in different communities, the city demonstrated an early understanding that digital transformation must reach people where they are, especially those who may otherwise have limited access to technology, connectivity, training, and online opportunities.

The city’s work helped turn technology into a practical instrument for education, employment, entrepreneurship, access to government services, and community empowerment, making San Carlos City an important example of countryside digital development in Negros Occidental.

City of Talisay

The City of Talisay is recognized for embracing digital skills, digital employment, innovation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration as important components of local development.

The city demonstrated its commitment by opening its doors to programs such as the Talisay City DigiWork Expo in 2025, which brought together government agencies, educational institutions, industry representatives, digital professionals, entrepreneurs, and young people.

This initiative sent a powerful message: digital opportunities must not be limited to major cities or traditional business centers. Every local government can play a role in preparing its citizens for the future of work.

Talisay showed that an LGU can actively create platforms where students discover new careers, jobseekers learn about online work, entrepreneurs encounter digital tools, and government leaders better understand the changing employment landscape.

The importance of this effort goes beyond one event. It reflects a growing recognition that local governments must become active builders of digital ecosystems.

Connectivity alone is not enough. Communities also need skills, mentors, employers, training institutions, innovation spaces, and opportunities to apply what they have learned. Talisay’s willingness to bring these stakeholders together represents an important step toward inclusive digital transformation.

We honor the City of Talisay for believing that its people deserve access to the opportunities of the knowledge economy and for demonstrating that countryside cities can lead, innovate, and build pathways toward digital jobs.

Bacolod Tay Tung High School

Bacolod Tay Tung High School is recognized for its commitment to technology-enabled education, creativity, student innovation, and future-ready learning.

I thank Bacolod Tay Tung High School for being at the forefront of supporting programs and activities of the DEVCON Philippines through DEVCON Visayas.

Education must do more than prepare students to pass examinations. It must help them develop curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and the courage to solve real-world problems.

Bacolod Tay Tung has provided its students with opportunities to explore technology, programming, robotics, research, design, prototyping, and innovation. By encouraging learners to engage with emerging technologies, the school is helping shape young people who are not only consumers of digital products but also potential creators, builders, and problem-solvers.

Its participation in TRAIN and other innovation initiatives demonstrates an openness to connect classroom learning with the larger ecosystem.

This matters because students need exposure beyond the school environment. They need to meet entrepreneurs, technologists, researchers, policymakers, and fellow innovators. They need to understand that the concepts they learn can be applied to challenges affecting businesses, communities, and society.

We recognize Bacolod Tay Tung High School because it understands that preparing students for the future is not about predicting every new technology. It is about cultivating adaptable minds, strong values, and the confidence to continue learning.

The school represents the essential role of educational institutions in every innovation ecosystem: discovering talent early, nurturing creativity, and empowering the next generation to build solutions we have not yet imagined.

From my point of view, Bacolod Tay Tung High School, Inc. deserves the Tumandok Adaptive Learning Trailblazer Award for demonstrating how an educational institution can remain firmly rooted in its values while continuously adapting to the changing needs of its learners and society.

Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center (NOLITC)

NOLITC holds a very special place in the digital transformation story of Negros Occidental.

It is recognized as a pioneering public institution that has demonstrated how government-led skills development can open pathways toward employment, dignity, and economic mobility.

For many Negrenses, access to quality training is the first major barrier to entering the digital workforce. Talent may be present, but without affordable education, industry-aligned skills, equipment, mentorship, and employment connections, that talent can remain undiscovered.

NOLITC helped address this challenge.

By providing language and information technology training, it allowed students, jobseekers, and individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds to prepare for careers in IT-BPM and other technology-enabled sectors.

Its importance is not measured solely by the number of training programs delivered. Its true impact is seen in the individuals who gained confidence, found employment, supported their families, and discovered that they could compete in a global industry while remaining rooted in Negros Occidental.

NOLITC also became an important part of the province’s larger strategy to attract investment and develop a reliable talent pool. It showed that workforce development and industry promotion must move together.

We recognize NOLITC because it embodies the principle of inclusive innovation. Technology becomes meaningful when it expands opportunities for people, especially those who might otherwise be left behind.

Its story is proof that with sustained public investment, strong partnerships, and faith in local talent, government institutions can become engines of transformation.

Newsbytes.PH

Newsbytes.PH is recognized as a digital countryside champion for consistently documenting and amplifying ICT, innovation, and digital transformation stories beyond Metro Manila.

For many years, one of the greatest challenges faced by countryside ICT ecosystems was not the absence of meaningful work, but the lack of national visibility.

Important programs were happening in cities and provinces. Local governments were developing digital strategies. ICT councils were organizing communities. Schools were producing talented students. Startups were emerging. Regional leaders were building partnerships.Yet many of these stories remained unseen.

Newsbytes.PH helped change this by providing credible and sustained coverage of developments in the regions. It gave space to stories involving digital cities, countryside ICT councils, industry development, innovation events, digital inclusion, skills programs, and technology-enabled employment.

This kind of journalism plays an essential role in ecosystem building.

When local achievements are reported, other communities learn from them. When challenges are documented, policymakers begin to understand them. When regional voices are included, the national technology conversation becomes more representative and inclusive.

Through its reporting, Newsbytes.PH helped ensure that the digital countryside was not treated as a footnote in the country’s technology story.

We recognize the organization for understanding that innovation must not only be created—it must also be documented, communicated, and shared.

Stories can inspire investment. Stories can influence policy. Stories can connect communities. Stories can make people believe that transformation is possible in their own hometowns.

The Tumandok Design

The tree and roots represented in the Tumandok medallion reflect rootedness to the community and consistency to the mission. The roots symbolize the heritage, values, discipline, and commitment to community. The growing branches represent iinnovation—reaching toward new knowledge, emerging technologies, global opportunities, and an increasingly connected future.