Cebu hosted the first ever BIL conference in the Philippines and Southeast Asia last February 11, 2016 at Pizzeria Michelangelo, Banilad, Cebu City, with the theme: “Sugbuanon Kita!”
BIL is an unscripted conference about ideas in science, arts, technology, and society. It was formed in 2008 by Dallas-based web and technology consultant, Cody Marx Bailey as founder. BIL was inspired by the famous TED conference and involved a group of local change makers who want to pitch ideas in their city.
College students from different schools in Cebu were screened online through their Facebook page: BIL Philippines, to be able to participate in the conference. The students learned about Cebuano-centered topics like Visayan Pop Music, Cebu Youth Leadership and Cebu’s environmental state, as well as talks on Psychic Healing and laws on the LGBT community.
Among the speakers were Cebuano professionals and key influencers, MC John Ybañez, Dr. Ernesto Logarta, Jude Gitamondoc, Reginald Caturza, Atty. Regal Oliva, Jenny Lea Tan, Mary Catherine Codilla, and Bryant Gonzales.
The theme speaks of Cebuanos’ pride, culture and qualities as a way of developing ideas that would help solve current issues that Cebu is facing.
“Exploring gave me a lot of experiences and reasons to love Cebu more. It is a Cebuano characteristic wherein Cebuanos initiate a conversation. The challenge is knowing when and how to draw the line of what we could do and what we shouldn’t,” shared BIL speaker MC John Ybañez.
BIL Philippines was organized by the University of San Carlos Idea Lab, a youth group that supports ideas and creates initiatives to nurture innovation and entrepreneurship and link various stakeholders in the community.
