More than a hundred students from the University of the Philippines and other universities within Metro Manila attended the one-day hackathon and lecture held in UP Diliman last May 19, 2026, applying data science and machine learning skills to real-world problems.
The event was organized through UP’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) and Office of the Vice President for Digital Transformation (OVPDx), in partnership with the University of Tokyo’s Matsuo-Iwasawa Laboratory and with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). UP’s hosting was earned through its students’ strong participation in the Matsuo Lab’s Global Consumer Intelligence (GCI) course, a free, fully online program that drew over 7,700 participants from more than 430 universities across 30 countries in 2025.
Speaking at the event, UP Vice President for Research and Innovation Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano Jr. underscored that technical skills only go so far on their own.
“Apart from the individual skills that you’re learning—deep technical skills, from AI, data science, data analytics—it’s very important to apply that in solving problems, in challenges in society. And to do that, we have to team up,” Marciano said.
VP Marciano encouraged students to build deep expertise in their field while staying open to working across disciplines, what he called being a T-shaped individual, developing skills in communication, empathy, and teamwork along the way, and connecting with others who are the same.
The day ran from a morning hackathon kick-off through an afternoon of independent problem-solving, closing with a keynote lecture and a networking session with the Matsuo Lab team.
Kent Joseph Palima topped the competition and received a fully-funded study tour in Japan. Meanwhile, Zaphia Celisse Sorongon and Louis Mark Briones bagged the second and third spots, respectively.
The hackathon is part of Matsuo Lab’s broader presence in the region. In April 2026, a lab delegation visited Ateneo de Manila University alongside representatives from the Embassy of Japan and JICA to explore opportunities in AI education and technology transfer. UP’s hosting places it within this growing network of universities across the Global South engaging with Matsuo Lab’s programs.