Global Filipino Nation, an international association of Filipino organizations and leaders at home and abroad, will leverage the power of the internet to empower Global Filipinos. Various Filipino American IT executives met in San Francisco last February 7, 2008 and agreed to combine their knowledge and expertise to identify and leverage technology for better governance in the Philippines. They will promote the widespread use of new technologies to build a connected Global nation that will help address the economic, social and political concerns of the overseas Filipinos. The Global Filipinos Portal conceptual model will be presented on May 8-11, 2008 International Conference on “Building the Global Filipino Nation for Effective Governance”, to be hosted by GFN at the University of Makati.

The May Conference will create opportunities for bringing players IT professionals around the world and share knowledge on how to empower Global Filipino Citizens. The IT initiative will be an integral part of “Innovation and Tech Collaboration” Interventions, within the “Economic module” component of the May Conference, whose oversight is under Jojo Guingao, GFN Convenor, and President/CEO of Pacific Data Resources. “There are thousands of IT Filipino professionals in the world who have contributed to significant innovations worldwide. IT is a powerful agent of change. It is time to harness that knowledge and create a platform to strengthen the economic, social and political environment in the Philippines”, Guingao stressed.
The group agreed that the first step would be to link overseas Filipinos by building a dynamic web portal. The portal dubbed “The Filipino Global Village” will help organize, educate and connect Filipinos in all parts of the world. The Global Filipinos Portal conceptual model will be presented during the May 2008 International Conference.

Robert Ceralvo, GFN Convenor and Founder of CeralVOIP/CIPTech, will lead the presentation of the web portal system architecture. Ceralvo commented that “the portal will serve as a virtual community to all Filipinos who are dispersed geographically. It will provide various information and services that will constitute the foundation for a truly connected global community. Further, GFN will spearhead the initiative to enhance computer and internet literacy among global Filipinos.”

The aim is to leverage the efficient use of technology to connect overseas Filipinos. The portal will encourage members to facilitate communication and interaction among members. It will include social networking services to interact with fellow members. It will also provide a platform to unify and present a single voice and raised awareness of various social, political and economic issues across the world. Some of the features include:

Social networking features such as Blogs, Forums and Message Boards to connect and stimulate dialogue with Filipinos worldwide
One stop source for information on local and international events, government resources, news, laws and GFN initiatives
Job portal for individuals and companies where members can send alert for new opportunities in their work locations.

E-learning portal where members can share industry and academic knowledge for continuing education and professional development.

Human resource development, e.g. training programs
Philippine investment opportunities
Opinion surveys of global Filipinos

GFN is an unincorporated association of leading organizations and leaders onshore and offshore, including those in academe, think tanks, peasant groups, labor, media, grassroots organizers, business, banking and investments, consulting, OFW/migrant rights advocacy, youth, indigenous peoples, foundations and engineering professionals.

Any IT professional who would like to get involve with the initiative may directly send their expression of interest to Jojo Guingao (jojo.guingao@pacifidr.com) and Robert Ceralvo (rceralvo@gmail.com). An interested party may register online for the May Conference by visiting the website globalfilipinonation.com. Filipinos in any part of the world, including those living in the Philippines, may indicate their interest.