Fifty students from Puerto Princesa completed an intensive blockchain training program focused on the Move programming language, despite disruptions caused by two consecutive typhoons that affected the final weeks of instruction.
A total of 127 students initially joined the Sui Builder Program, which introduced participants to Move, the smart contract language originally developed for Meta’s Diem project and now used in the Sui and Aptos blockchains. The training aimed to equip young developers in Palawan with skills to build on-chain applications.
The program’s winning team, The Scouts, created Campfire, an application that digitizes certificates and community assets and rewards users with digital badges for participation. One of its developers, JK Rabanal, described the project as a “gamified Luma on Sui.”
Nicholo dela Rosa, a junior computer science student at Palawan State University and a member of The Scouts, said the initiative helped broaden the students’ perspectives.
“What this opportunity has brought us changed our mindset [to] that we should be thinking more, dreaming bigger,” he said during the YGG Play Summit in Manila.
Yield Guild Games, through its educational arm Metaversity, handled the program’s curriculum design, mentoring, and job connections. The national information and communications technology agency supported the initiative by opening training centers and providing computer labs, internet access, and local coordination in Palawan.
James Wing of Mysten Labs, the developers of the Sui blockchain, said Move offers a practical starting point for new programmers because it supports object-oriented models and real-world applications.
Program mentors said many participants were eager to learn despite limited access to developer communities in the province.
Metaversity co-leader Bianca Cruz noted that such opportunities are uncommon in Palawan, adding that students attended sessions even if it meant long travel times or sacrificing weekends.
The initiative aligns with the government’s goal of producing more digital-ready workers, but it also highlights broader challenges in the country’s education system. Studies from the OECD and World Bank show Filipino students continue to rank low in basic skills and digital literacy, despite improvements in national education spending.
Paolo Lising, a global development student at Harvard University’s Extension School, said the training exposes students to advanced digital skills and signals progress toward a more future-ready workforce.
However, he noted that “access alone is not enough,” citing the need to strengthen foundational education for programs like this to have lasting impact.
