[Web3 Interview Series] How ETH63 Intends Drive Ethereum Growth in the Philippines

Editing by Michael Mislos

With the Ethereum Foundation’s flagship Devcon event set in Southeast Asia, the Philippine-based group ETH63, supported by the foundation’s Road To Devcon (RTD) Grants, is gearing up to host the inaugural Ethereum Meetup Manila 2024 on February 24th. This meetup aims to boost awareness and deliver educational insights into the Ethereum network, encouraging greater understanding and participation among the local community.

For this interview, BitPinas sat down with Paolo Dioquino and Christine Erispe to learn more about ETH63’s upcoming meetup and goals in the Philippines.

What is ETH63?

ETH63 is a community initiative that emerged in the latter part of Q4 last year. The name combines Ethereum’s ETH and the Philippines’ country code +63.

While not the first Ethereum community to have been founded in the country, as previously mentioned, this is the first one with official support from the Ethereum Foundation.

In the interview, ETH63 core members Dioquino and Erispe, known in the community as Rightside and 0xDanki respectively, recounted the initiative’s origins. The idea, sparked by friends like Anton Buenavista of Pendle and QZ of ETH Singapore, aimed to highlight the Philippines for Devcon 7—now known as Devcon Southeast Asia. (Note: Dioquino is also part of Pendle, leading Growth.)

“Now we join in because they were looking for representatives per region in Southeast Asia to create a community in preparation. It was an interesting idea so we grouped together. I invited over different like-minded people []—Danki, me, Jaydee, and Luis— to build this forward.”

Paolo Dioquino, Core Member, ETH63

Dioquino is referring to Jaydee Rebadulla, Director at Lycaon Creatives, and Luis Buenaventura of GCrypto, who is also a regular BitPinas contributor.

Ethereum Meetup Manila 2024

The meetup, as Dioquino and Erispe highlighted, is the first tech-focused community gathering for Ethereum enthusiasts in the Philippines, designed to increase awareness and serve as a platform for networking, learning, and sharing insights.

“We aim to spark wider interest about Ethereum by bringing in people who are actually involved and very passionate about Ethereum. And what we hope to achieve by the end of the event is to just gather people who might be interested to build, who might be interested in knowing more about the technology.” 

Christine Erispe, Core Member, ETH63

The ultimate goal, they shared, is to cultivate broader interest in Ethereum and encourage individuals to explore opportunities within the ecosystem. 

Who will be and what to expect at Ethereum Meetup Manila

Keynote speeches and panel discussions will feature Web3 leaders, including ETH63 core members, alongside figures from the Ethereum Foundation and other notable entities. The meetup aims to unite Ethereum developers and enthusiasts, fostering a collaborative environment for growth and innovation.

Speakers include Buenaventura, Dioquino, Ken Arthur Bassig of Magnus Capital, Isabella of Router Protocol, and Ethereum Singapore’s QZ.

Road To Devcon (RTD) Grant

The RTD Grant aided ETH63 in kickstarting the upcoming meetup, the core members shared.

“Applying for a Small Grant in RTD gives us the opportunity to actually be supporting Ethereum and to actually be the bridge from Ethereum Foundation towards the Philippines. Now, it gives us a certificate or representation that we are here to actually provide value for [] the Philippines.”

Paolo Dioquino, Core Member, ETH63

Erispe added, “It’s not just about the funding we got from Ethereum, the biggest thing about it is the connections. Through being granted by RTD, we got connected [with] the rest of the Ethereum community in Southeast Asia and beyond and I think that’s the most important thing. We got the help and representation we need for the Philippines []to actually make this happen.” 

Challenges in the space

Highlighting education and awareness, Dioquino emphasized the steep learning curve for newcomers in understanding blockchain and cryptocurrencies

“If you want people to get educated you have to give them… make them aware of what’s happening in the space, right?” he commented. 

On the other hand, Erispe pointed out the need to shift the local blockchain community’s mindset from being consumer-oriented and profit-driven to recognizing blockchain’s broader societal benefits.

“Blockchain offers more than just profits; it offers the decentralization, data ownership, maybe even something as big moving parties who wouldn’t otherwise collaborate in a trustless manner… I think that’s one of the blockers, we need to change how people think about blockchain.”

Christine Erispe, Core Member, ETH63

What’s next for ETH63?

Looking forward, ETH63 plans to leverage partnerships with local brands and media for broader exposure and is exploring collaborations with educational platforms for crypto-related education. The vision is to evolve into a decentralized community that supports Ethereum’s growth in the Philippines.

“If anyone is interested to learn more (about Ethereum) we are the square one. We are the first community they go. I also see ourselves spreading across different people. It’s not just us. They don’t even need to officially like interact with ETH63, if they are interested with Ethereum then they’re already part of the community. So that’s how I see us. We’re pretty much decentralized.” 

Christine Erispe, Core Member, ETH63

Ultimately, they hope to cultivate widespread interest and engagement in the Ethereum ecosystem across the Philippines.

ETH63’s Ethereum Meetup Manila is happening this February 24, 2024.

This article is published on BitPinas: [Interview] How ETH63 Intends Drive Ethereum Growth in the Philippines

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