CEBU is set to take center stage in the Philippines’ technology and innovation landscape as it hosts the country’s first-ever Quantum Information, Science, and Technology Conference (QISTCon.ph 2025) from July 30 to Aug. 1, 2025, at JPark Island Resort & Waterpark on Mactan Island.
The event is expected to elevate Cebu’s role in emerging technologies and catalyze national efforts to position the Philippines as a key player in Southeast Asia’s quantum ecosystem.
Backed by international partners and organized under the banner of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), QISTCon.ph 2025 affirms the country’s growing presence in the global scientific community.
In a statement, the event is organized by the Quantum Computing Society of the Philippines in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology – PCIEERD, the Open Quantum Institute and the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator.
The conference will bring together over 100 participants including scientists, educators, investors, industry leaders, students and policymakers from the Philippines and abroad. It aims to kickstart a national conversation on how quantum technology can be responsibly developed, integrated into education and adopted by local industries.
“QISTCon.ph 2025 is expected to ignite new collaborations across sectors and signal the country’s readiness to play an active role in shaping the global quantum future,” organizers said.
Cebu’s academic community is actively supporting the event, with Cebu Institute of Technology–University and University of San Carlos as co-hosts. Local and international experts will explore the transformative potential of quantum computing across sectors such as medicine, finance, logistics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Quantum computing
Quantum computing, still in its nascent stages globally, offers exponential speed and capacity by using qubits, quantum units that can exist in multiple states at once, allowing massive parallel processing of data. Tech giants like AWS, IBM and Microsoft are among those accelerating global development in this space.
Leading the initiative is Bobby Corpus Jr., a Cebu native and alumnus of Cebu City National Science High School. He is the co-founder and president of QCSP, a member of the DOST-PCIEERD Quantum Technology Board, and vice chairman of the Bureau of Philippine Standards subcommittee on AI and Quantum Technologies.
“QISTCon.ph aims to spark a national conversation around how quantum technology can be explored, adopted, and responsibly developed in the Philippines,” the organizers said.
The conference will also emphasize regional cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and tackle critical ethical and security considerations in the quantum age.
Other key supporters include the QCSP national team, the QCSP Chapter at MSU-IIT, Cherry-Lyn Sta. Romana of CIT-U, Dr. Roland Otadoy of USC, and international collaborators from Singapore, the UK and Germany via the Responsible Quantum Computing and the Science and Education Group for Quantum Responsibility. / KOC