ILAGAN CITY, Isabela — Isabela is moving to strengthen its position in the digital economy by linking workforce development, local innovation, artificial intelligence readiness and inter-government collaboration under the second staging of the Transformative AI Network (TRAIN)Week. Under the general theme: Knowledge is the new currency.

Set beginning August 18, the Isabela leg follows TRAIN’s inaugural run in Bacolod City from July 20 to 24, 2026 and will test whether the platform can be adapted beyond a single regional event into a repeatable model for local digital transformation.

The three-day program will feature the Isabela Digital Transformation Summit and ICT Ecosystem Workshop on August 18, the Isabela DigiWork Expo 2026 on August 19, and a Provincial Collaboration and Innovation Meetings on August 20 in Ilagan, Cauayan, Echague and Santiago.

Isabela DigiWork Expo 2026 is proudly supported by Governor Rodolfo “Rodito” T. Albano III, Vice Governor Francis Faustino “Kiko” Dy, and Provincial PESO Manager Cecilia Claire N. Reyes as the province advances digital jobs, skills, and inclusion.

Convened by the Provincial Government of Isabela through Public Employment Service Office (PESO) -Isabela, the initiative is designed to bring local governments, national agencies, industry, academe, technology leaders, workforce organizations and development partners into a common planning and implementation framework.

Its theme, “Empowering Communities Through ICT: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Building Isabela’s Digital Future,” reflects a broader policy challenge confronting provinces outside major metropolitan centers: how to convert growing access to digital technologies and artificial intelligence into jobs, investment, stronger institutions and more competitive local enterprises.

Digital transformation moves from technology to strategy

The Isabela Digital Transformation Summit on August 18 will focus on empowering Isabela as one connected provincial digital and innovation ecosystem through the Isabela Digital Transformation Summit in Ilagan City. The gathering will bring together provincial and local governments, national agencies, industry, academe, ICT councils, entrepreneurs, and development partners to align priorities, assess readiness, and shape a shared roadmap for digital transformation.

In a formal letter dated June 29, 2026, the Provincial Government of Isabela, through the Public Employment Service Office, invited Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue to serve as Co-Convenor of the province-wide Digital Transformation Forum, citing her “tireless advocacy for digital empowerment, countryside innovation, and ethical technology leadership in the Philippines” and noting that her commitment has helped pave the way for “inclusive and forward-thinking ICT policy and innovation.” The Province of Isabela believe said her presence and guidance would provide critical leadership and inspire stakeholders across the public and private sectors, academe, and the future provincial ICT council as Isabela works to consolidate actionable strategies for inclusive digital transformation across the province.

Batapa-Sigue is set to conduct a newly-designed workshop called WISER —Workforce, Innovation, Strategy, Ecosystem, and Resilience—the summit aims to strengthen institutional capacity, deepen collaboration, and position Isabela to pursue digital growth as a coordinated provincial ecosystem rather than through isolated initiatives.

Under the framework, workforce transformation covers digital jobs, future skills, upskilling and leadership development. Innovation focuses on startups, micro, small and medium enterprises, research and development, technology commercialization and investment readiness.

The strategy pillar includes AI readiness, digital infrastructure, data-driven governance and institutional capability, while ecosystem collaboration connects government, academe, industry, investors, communities and development partners. Resilience addresses cybersecurity, responsible AI, privacy, risk management and continuity planning.

The approach is intended to give local leaders a more structured way of identifying priorities and sequencing investments, rather than pursuing disconnected technology projects.

For businesses, the significance lies in whether the roadmap can translate public-sector digital priorities into better infrastructure, a stronger talent pipeline, clearer local policies and more predictable conditions for investment.

For local governments, the challenge will be implementation. Digital strategies can lose momentum when projects are fragmented across agencies, budgets are limited, or responsibilities are not clearly assigned. The WISER framework therefore places institutional capacity and collaboration alongside technology adoption.

DigiWork Expo focuses on competitiveness of local talent

The second day, August 19, shifts the focus from institutions to people through the Isabela DigiWork Expo 2026.

Built around the message “Digital Jobs. Digital Skills. Digital Inclusion,” the event will examine how Filipino workers, students and professionals can participate in a labor market increasingly shaped by AI, automation, remote work and digitally delivered services.

For provinces such as Isabela, workforce competitiveness is closely linked to investment attraction. Companies considering expansion outside Metro Manila and other established business centers typically assess not only connectivity and operating costs but also the availability, quality and trainability of local talent.

The DigiWork program designed by Batapa-Sigue and implemented in several iterations since its first version as Digital Careers Expon on 2018 is structured around four tracks:

• The Builders will examine the conditions needed for digital work and competitiveness.

• The Upskillers will focus on changing skills requirements and workforce pathways.

• The Homegrowns will highlight opportunities for local talent and enterprises to participate in the digital economy without relocating to major cities.

• The Partners will explore investment, employer linkages, collaboration and the conditions needed to sustain digital job creation.

Featured resource persons come from digital entrepreneurship, workforce development, AI, data analytics, animation, business process outsourcing, innovation policy, real estate research and smart-city development.

They include Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Convenor of the Philippine ICT Innovation Network; Jay-Cee “Cece” Tan, Founder of HL Accelerator and Co-founder of SaligPay; Maggie Po, Founder of FullSuite Pod; Frei Sangil, CEO and Founder of Layertech Software Labs; Atty. Frances Loraine Valdez, a technology lawyer and innovation expert; Daniel Santos, Senior Director for EMEA and APAC of Toon Boom; Martin Aguila of Colliers Philippines; Atty. Reina Santos, Smarter City Officer of Cauayan City; Emmanuel Victoriano, Chief Operations Officer of TAIO; and Joei Cruz, Founder and CEO of Limitless Lab.

The business issue underlying the discussions is how quickly regional labor markets can respond to changes in employer demand.

AI is already reshaping both routine and higher-value tasks, increasing pressure on workers to develop complementary skills in problem-solving, communication, judgment, creativity, digital productivity and specialized technical work.

At the same time, remote work and digitally delivered services allow talent outside traditional business centers to participate in national and global markets.

The opportunity for Isabela is to develop a sufficiently large and capable workforce that can support local companies while also attracting employers and investors looking for alternative locations.

The risk is that skills programs become disconnected from actual demand. Effective workforce development will require closer coordination among employers, schools, training institutions and government so that training investments correspond to real vacancies, emerging occupations and business requirements.

Isabela puts emphasis on talent – the knowledge, creativity, adaptability, judgment and capabilities of people. This is an increasingly important economic consideration as regions compete not only through physical infrastructure and incentives but through the quality of their human capital.

Batapa-Sigue says, province may have connectivity, available land and lower operating costs, but these advantages have limited value to investors if firms cannot recruit and retain the workers they need.

Conversely, a strong talent base can create a reinforcing cycle: skilled workers attract businesses, businesses create demand for more skills, and educational institutions respond with more relevant programs. The DigiWork Expo is positioned as an attempt to strengthen that linkage.

Provincial collaboration to link Isabela’s local innovation ecosystems

On August 20, TRAIN Isabela will extend beyond Ilagan City through a Provincial Collaboration and Innovation Ecosystems program involving Ilagan, Cauayan, Echague, and Santiago. The day will feature LGU innovation tours, ICT council dialogues, innovation roundtables, best-practice exchanges, and regional partnership meetings aimed at strengthening coordination among local governments and ecosystem stakeholders.

The approach reflects the economic case for greater provincial integration: individual cities and municipalities may face limits in attracting technology investment, building specialized talent pools, or sustaining innovation programs on their own, while a coordinated provincial ecosystem can enable localities to share knowledge, infrastructure, talent, markets, and institutional resources. It can also help reduce duplication by allowing LGUs to identify complementary strengths, whether in education, business services, agriculture technology, smart-city applications, startups, or the creative industries.

The longer-term challenge will be to translate these dialogues into formal collaboration mechanisms with clear priorities, measurable targets, and accountability for implementation, Batapa-Sigue cites.

📲 ISABELA DIGIWORK EXPO 2026 — SCAN TO JOIN THE DIGITAL FUTURE

Isabela calls on all students, jobseekers, professionals, and digital innovators to be part of the province’s biggest digital workforce event. Scan the QR code to register and scan your FilPass to receive your certificate — your gateway to digital jobs, digital skills, and digital inclusion. Every scan is a step toward a future‑ready Isabela.

📅 August 19, 2026 📍 Ilagan City, Province of Isabela

#ScanTheQR #IsabelaDigiWorkExpo2026 #DigitalJobsPH #DigitalSkillsPH #DigitalInclusion #FutureIsabela