Philippines Trains Remote Youth in Blockchain Development

The Sui Builder Program in Puerto Princesa, the capital city of Palawan, represents a significant investment in developing blockchain talent in one of the Philippines’ most isolated provinces. Students from Palawan State University spent weeks learning Move, an open-source smart contract language originally developed from Meta’s Diem project and now adapted by former developers who built Sui and Aptos. According to James Wing, who leads AAA gaming partnerships at Mysten Labs (developers of the Sui blockchain), Move “allows for object oriented models” that provide a “more natural architecture to learn and build on for real world use cases.”

The program’s impact was evident when third-year computer science student Nicholo dela Rosa and his team, The Scouts, won a hackathon by creating Campfire, an on-chain app that digitizes certificates and community assets while letting users earn badges for event participation. His co-developer JK Rabanal described it as a “gamified Luma on Sui,” referencing an app popular among crypto industry events. Dela Rosa noted that the opportunity “changed our mindset [that] we should be thinking more, dreaming big,” highlighting the program’s transformative effect on participants’ ambitions.

The initiative represents a collaborative effort between government and private sector entities. The Philippine government’s national agency for information and communications technology supported the program through its regional office for Palawan, providing training hubs, computer labs, internet access, and local coordination. Yield Guild Games handled curriculum design and delivery, mentorship, and connections for job and project opportunities through Metaversity, its educational arm. This partnership model aligns with the government’s broader aim to create 8 million digital jobs by 2028.

Despite significant challenges, including two consecutive typhoons that disrupted the final weeks of instruction, 50 of the 127 participating students completed the program. Bianca Cruz, co-lead at Metaversity, observed that while Palawan has a “much slower and laidback” vibe, students demonstrated remarkable eagerness to learn. She recounted how one student told her that Palawan “rarely” has such programs, noting that “you feel that they haven’t really had access to these developer communities, but the moment something finally lands in their backyard, they show up, even if it means long commutes and giving up their weekends.”

While the program provides advanced digital skills training, it operates within a national education system that has historically prioritized employability over core competencies. According to a 2018 analysis, Filipino students placed almost at the bottom worldwide in reading, math, and science, with large shares of test-takers failing to meet minimum proficiency levels. A 2022 OECD report confirmed this pattern persists, showing long-standing gaps in baseline comprehension, numeracy, and critical reasoning despite some improvement in scores.

The country also faces significant digital literacy challenges, as highlighted by a 2022 World Bank study. These educational gaps are compounded by historically low education spending, which tracked at 3.6% of GDP by 2024, falling behind regional standards of 4% based on UNESCO’s recommendation. While the country’s budget management agency claimed in August this year that it had reached the 4% minimum for next year’s allotment, the impact of years of underinvestment remains evident.

Paolo Lising, a global development student at Harvard University’s Extension School, noted that while the initiative gives Filipino students “exposure to advanced digital skills” and signals “a commitment to a future-ready workforce beyond traditional BPO roles,” “access alone isn’t enough.” Citing forthcoming research, he explained that “many Filipinos, like those who joined Axie Infinity, lack foundational skills in literacy and comprehension, limiting their ability to navigate complex digital systems.” He emphasized that “for programs like this to have lasting impact, they must be paired with stronger foundational education.”