Stellar Philippines is establishing a builder-focused developer ecosystem in the island nation through university bootcamps, hackathons like the ongoing IPAC event, and developer bounties. Led by country lead Nelson Lumbres and tech lead Armelin Obingar, the initiative draws from their prior success building ICP Philippines into a community of thousands of developers. Rather than chasing speculative investment, they emphasize building technology infrastructure during market downturns—positioning Philippine developers for first-mover advantage.
Nelson Lumbres and Armelin Obingar discuss how Stellar Philippines is bringing Web3 education to the island nation. The initiative runs bootcamps across Philippine universities starting with Manila, organizes hackathons including the IPAC event, and distributes bounties to motivate developers. Drawing on their experience building ICP Philippines into thousands of developers and hundreds of projects, they frame Web3 as technology infrastructure, not speculative investment. Their strategy: during quiet market cycles when funding cools, builders who have already positioned projects and user bases will capture first-mover advantage when activity returns. The philosophy centers on unlocking Philippine access to global Web3 opportunities through education and hands-on building experience.