March 26, 2026 – Makati – Philippines Cloud & Datacenter Convention 2026 – The Philippines’ data center story is no longer about future potential—it is already unfolding at scale. At the Philippines Cloud & Datacenter Convention 2026, industry leaders, investors, and technology stakeholders gathered to examine how the country is rapidly positioning itself as a regional hub for digital infrastructure, cloud, and AI workloads.
The day opened with remarks from Yvonne Leong, General Manager Southeast Asia at W.Media, followed by Daryl Dunbar, Partner at ICG Global, who set the tone by highlighting the urgency and opportunity in the country’s infrastructure buildout. A recorded address from Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian of the Senate of the Philippines and Secretary Henry Aguda of the Department of Information and Communications Technology reinforced the government’s role in accelerating cloud adoption and enabling a digital-first economy.
The opening panel brought together key players shaping large-scale developments. Gerardo Rodriguez, Managing Director at Ring of Fire Capital Ventures, led the discussion with insights from Noriel Ong, Vice President and Head of Data Center Infrastructure, Andrew Oon, Chief Commercial Officer at FLOW Digital Infrastructure, Cyril Rocke, President and CEO of DataOne Asia, and Jussi Ahonen, Principal Investment Specialist at the Asian Development Bank. The conversation centered on how hyperscalers, local operators, and capital partners are aligning to fund and execute increasingly complex builds across the country.
Resiliency emerged as a critical theme early in the program, with Gary Wong, Sales Director for Philippines, Indochina, and South Asia at Uptime Institute, outlining the three pillars that define modern data center reliability. This was followed by a fireside discussion moderated by Lianne Edera-Collantes, Director for Risk Management and Compliance at Acquire Intelligence, where Ralph Piccio, Director at Oracle, Jose Dalino, Chief Technology Officer at PayMongo, and Oliver Ipsioco, Founder, CEO, and AI Strategy Consultant at DocypherLabs shared how enterprises across sectors are accelerating cloud and AI adoption through hybrid and multicloud strategies.
Energy and sustainability took center stage before lunch. Carton Chen, Product Manager at Vision, explored how evolving power infrastructure—including energy storage and advanced UPS systems—will support AI-driven demand. This led into a broader panel moderated by Matthias Gelber, Sustainability Manager at Enrotech, featuring Engr. Jay Peter B. Escultura, National President of ENPAP 4.0 Inc., Robert Marlon T. Pereja, Vice President and General Manager at EEI Power Corporation, Ceejay Hernandez, Head of Sustainability at HSBC Philippines, and Mar Veran, Director for Sustainability at Anthesis Group, who examined how renewable energy, grid readiness, and long-term power strategies will define the country’s competitiveness.
The afternoon sessions shifted toward industry coordination and enterprise strategy. A panel moderated by Daryl Dunbar, Partner at ICG Global, brought together leaders from the newly formed Data Center Operators of the Philippines, including Victor S. Genuino, President of DCPH, Carlo Malana, Corporate Secretary of DCPH, and Andrew Oon, Member of DCPH, discussing how a unified industry voice can influence policy, investment, and long-term infrastructure planning.
Enterprise demand signals were further explored in a CIO-focused panel led by Misha Dayrit Fernandez of RedAnts Media Inc., with insights from Charlie Valerio, CIO and FVP at AboitizPower, Francis Chiu, FVP and Head of Consumer Banking at BDO Unibank, Sheridan Leroy Laroza, Executive Director for IT at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Robin Ramos, Chief Technology Officer at PLDT Global. The discussion underscored how cloud and data center strategies are becoming central to business resilience and growth.
Operational risks also came into focus during a fireside chat moderated by James Soh, Senior Technical Advisor at Novo Data Center Consultancy, where Shera Ann Sabbun, Vice President for Institutional Development at the Philippine Institute of Cybersecurity Professionals, Kenneth Lopez, Vice President for Corporate at Marsh Philippines, and Sam Jacoba, Founding President of the National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines discussed vulnerabilities beyond cybersecurity, particularly in operational technology systems such as cooling and power infrastructure.
The day concluded with a forward-looking panel moderated by Joey Roi Bondoc, Director and Head of Research at Colliers, featuring Mel Migrino, Chair and CEO of the Philippines Chief Information Officer Association and Council President of the ASEAN CXO Association, Phillip Anonuevo, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Leechiu Property Consultants, and Sonny Carlos, Board of Trustee at the Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Association of the Philippines. The discussion focused on what it will take for the Philippines to emerge as a top-tier regional hub, from policy alignment and investment flows to infrastructure readiness.
Throughout the day, one message remained consistent: the Philippines is no longer waiting to become a data center hub—it is actively building toward it. With hyperscale developments, expanding connectivity, and increasing alignment between public and private sectors, the race is well underway, and the next few years will determine who leads in shaping the country’s digital infrastructure future.
