11th Edition

AICon Manila 2026

Human by Design: Building the AI Future We Choose

August 25, 2026 SPACE at One Ayala · Makati
About AICon Manila

The Philippines' flagship AI conference.

Technology should serve humanity, not the other way around.
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in our daily lives, the challenge before us is not simply to build more powerful systems, but to ensure that these systems reflect our values, protect human dignity, and contribute to human flourishing.

AICON 2026 is a call to place people at the center of AI. It is a gathering of builders, policymakers, educators, workers, entrepreneurs, and innovators committed to shaping an AI future that empowers rather than replaces, includes rather than excludes, and elevates rather than diminishes our shared humanity.

The future of AI is not something that happens to us. It is something we choose to build together for ourselves.

AICon PH 2025 Recap
600+
Attendees
28
Speakers & Panelists
19
Exhibitors & Partners
97%
Attendee Satisfaction
Speakers

Leaders shaping AI in the Philippines.

Enterprise AI leads, policy and ethics voices, and the educators building the talent pipeline — the people actually deciding how AI gets built in the Philippines

Keynote Michelle Alarcon

Michelle Alarcon

President · Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
Keynote Anton Bonifacio

Anton Bonifacio

Chief Intelligence & Trust Officer · Globe Telecom
Panel Kayle Amurao

Kayle Amurao

Associate Director for Gen AI · Thinking Machines
Panel Aurelien Chu

Aurelien Chu

Co-Founder & CEO · Eskwelabs
Panel Marlon Cruz

Marlon Cruz

Assistant Vice President · Globe Business
Panel Pablo Jose Del Reguero De La Torre

Pablo Jose Del Reguero De La Torre

Strategy and Innovation Head · Indra Philippines
Panel Marge Fernando

Marge Fernando

AI Labs Head · Stratpoint Technologies
Speaker Sherwin Pelayo

Sherwin Pelayo

Chair, Technical Panel on AI and Analytics · Commission on Higher Education
Panel Ralph Regalado

Ralph Regalado

Vice President · Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
Panel Lee Carlo Abadia

Lee Carlo Abadia

Secretary · Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
Panel Joey Gurango

Joey Gurango

Treasurer · Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
Speaker Pam Cabudoy

Pam Cabudoy

Chief Data Scientist · RCBC
Panel Sonny Carlos

Sonny Carlos

Trustee · Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
Panel Dr. Jimmy Caro

Dr. Jimmy Caro

Trustee · Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
Speaker Jenny Echevarria

Jenny Echevarria

Vice President, Enterprise Data & Strategic Services · Globe Telecom
Panel Norman Lapid

Norman Lapid

Trustee · Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
Speaker Eric Pineda

Eric Pineda

Artificial Intelligence Group Head · Globe Telecom
Speaker Marge Aviso

Marge Aviso

CEO · TeleworkPH
Speaker Dianne Julian

Dianne Julian

Head for Data, RPA, and AI · Indra Philippines
Speaker Samu Samson

Samu Samson

AI Technical Sales Specialist · IBM Philippines
Speaker Michael George Lee

Michael George Lee

Philippines Sales Lead for Commercial and Enterprise · AMD
Speaker Romulo Gapuz, Jr.

Romulo Gapuz, Jr.

CTO · Huawei Cloud Philippines
Speaker Prof. Benito Teehankee, DBA

Prof. Benito Teehankee, DBA

Jose E. Cuisia Professor of Business Ethics · De La Salle University
Speaker Liza Mapagu

Liza Mapagu

CEO · ASEAMETRICS
Speaker Derrick Adil

Derrick Adil

Chief Standards and Certifications Officer · International AI Safety Commission
Speaker Dr. Julius Leaño, Jr.

Dr. Julius Leaño, Jr.

Director IV · Philippine Textile Research Institute — DOST
Speaker Jenneli Caya

Jenneli Caya

OIC, Research and Development Division · Philippine Textile Research Institute — DOST
Speaker Dexter Ligot-Gordon

Dexter Ligot-Gordon

Co-Founder & CEO · Swarm
Speaker Antonio

Antonio "Anto" Umali

Technical Manager, Stratpoint Labs · Stratpoint Technologies
Speaker Gabriel Isaac Ramolete

Gabriel Isaac Ramolete

Data & AI Strategy Consultant · Thinking Machines
Speaker FEU Tech Research Teams

FEU Tech Research Teams

Legacy++ & Gray Men · Adviser Justine Jude Pura · FEU Institute of Technology
Speaker Jonathan Ty

Jonathan Ty

Group Chief Commercial Officer · Kollab
Speaker Jerry Romo

Jerry Romo

Sr. Vice President of Operations · Kira Tech AI
Speaker Diwa

Diwa "Wawi" del Mundo

Founder & President · Apper Digital
Program

One day. Three tracks.
Built for builders & decision-makers.

A full conference program covering frontier research, enterprise deployment, and AI policy. Switch tracks anytime — sessions are designed to stand alone.

08:0060 min
Registration

Registration, & morning networking

09:0020 min
Opening

Human by Design: Building the AI Future We Choose

Michelle Alarcon
President, Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
09:2330 min
Keynote

Building an AI-Powered Enterprise: Enabling People to Create Lasting Value

Anton Bonifacio
Chief Intelligence & Trust Officer, Globe Telecom
09:5690 min
Panel

Boots on the Ground: The Real AI Journey

Michelle Alarcon
President, Analytics & AI Association of the Philippines
Kayle Amurao
Associate Director for Gen AI, Thinking Machines
Aurelien Chu
Co-Founder & CEO, Eskwelabs
Marlon Cruz
Assistant Vice President, Globe Business
Pablo Jose Del Reguero De La Torre
Strategy and Innovation Head, Indra Philippines
Marge Fernando
AI Labs Head, Stratpoint Technologies
11:3025 min
Panel

The AAP Nation-Builder Program Towards an AI-ready Philippines!

Townhall with the AAP Board of Trustees
12:0075 min
Lunch

Lunch & Exhibit Tour

Afternoon Networking and Sponsors Exhibit

17:1020 min
Closing

Closing Remarks

Joey Gurango
AAP Board of Trustee, Lead, AICON Manila 2026
13:1540 min
Talk

Building Smarter: Optimizing AI Consumption

Eric Pineda
Artificial Intelligence Group Head, Globe Telecom
14:0040 min
Talk

How a 1,600-Person Filipino BPO Uses AI to Scale People Growth

Marge Aviso
CEO, TeleworkPH
14:4540 min
Talk

The Agentic Enterprise: Scaling AI Agents Through Enterprise Agentification

Pablo Jose Del Reguero De La Torre
Strategy and Innovation Head, Indra Philippines
Dianne Julian
Head for Data, RPA, and AI, Indra Philippines
15:3045 min
Talk

Agents at Work, Humans in Charge: The AI Operating Model for the Augmented Filipino Enterprise

Samu Samson
AI Technical Sales Specialist, IBM Philippines
16:2020 min
Talk

Ultimate Performance with AI & Professional Experiences

Michael George Lee
Philippines Sales Lead for Commercial and Enterprise, AMD
16:4520 min
Talk

Two Bets, One Cake: The Economics of Staying in Control of AI

Romulo Gapuz, Jr.
CTO, Huawei Cloud Philippines
13:1540 min
Talk

How to be an Ethical AI Professional (from the AAP's Responsible Analytics & AI Council)

Prof. Benito Teehankee, DBA
Jose E. Cuisia Professor of Business Ethics, De La Salle University
Liza Mapagu
CEO, ASEAMETRICS
14:0040 min
Talk

Building Trust at Scale: The Global Imperative for AI Safety and Governance

Derrick Adil
Chief Standards and Certifications Officer International AI Safety Commission
14:4540 min
Talk

AI That Works: Real Use Cases + Real Responsibility

Pam Cabudoy
Chief Data Scientist, RCBC
Jenny Echevarria
Vice President, Enterprise Data & Strategic Services, Globe Telecom
15:3045 min
Talk

From Looms to Algorithms: Uniting Science, Technology, and Fashion

Dr. Julius Leaño, Jr.
Director IV, Philippine Textile Research Institute Department of Science and Technology
16:2020 min
Talk

The Race to AI Production: Insights from Philippine AI Use Cases

Dexter Ligot-Gordon
Co-Founder & CEO, Swarm
16:4520 min
Talk

Closing the Loop on ML Model Monitoring

Antonio "Anto" Umali
Technical Manager, Stratpoint Labs
13:1540 min
Talk

Building the AI Talent Pipeline: Creating Ladderized Pathways from Learning to Work

Sherwin Pelayo
Chair, Technical Panel on AI and Analytics Commission on Higher Education
14:0040 min
Talk

What are the Jobs of the Future? Lessons from an AI Upskiller

Aurelien Chu
Co-Founder & CEO, Eskwelabs
14:4540 min
Talk

From Chat to Work: Turning ChatGPT into a Practical Teammate

Gabriel Isaac Ramolete
Data & AI Strategy Consultant, Thinking Machines
15:3020 min
Talk

FEU Tech Undergraduate AI Research Showcase

Legacy++: Mark Eron Diaz, Deux Marq Marquez, John Janiel Obmerga, Kurt Laurence Tendero
Gray Men: Dwayne Carmelo Mongaya, Aaron Rodge Silva, Fitz Troy Tobias, Jeanne
Justine Jude Pura
Adviser, FEU Institute of Technology
15:5520 min
Talk

AI Fluency for Executives

Jonathan Ty
Group Chief Commercial Officer, Kollab
16:2020 min
Talk

From Roadmap to Reality: An AI-Powered Micro-Credentialing Model for the Philippines

Jerry Romo
Sr. Vice President of Operations, Kira Tech AI
16:4520 min
Talk

AI Architecture, AI Engineering, and Harnesses: Learnings as a Claude Partner Network Member

Diwa "Wawi" del Mundo
Founder & President Apper Digital
Registration

Secure your seat.

Early Bird is limited and goes fast. AAP members enjoy preferred pricing across all categories.

Limited slots
Early Bird

All-access, first come, first served.

2,000
per attendee · single tier
Sales Ended
Members Academic, student, and government rates verified on registration. Apply for membership.
Sponsors & Partners

Backed by the Philippine AI ecosystem.

AICon Manila 2026 is made possible by leading enterprises, technology providers, and institutions investing in the country’s AI capability.

Platinum Sponsor
Platinum Sponsor · 1 partner
Gold Sponsor
Gold Sponsor · 1 partner
Silver Sponsor
Silver Sponsor · 3 partners
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor · 1 partner
Supported By
Supported By · 10 partners