Manila

Confirmed Speakers

• Xavier Alpasa
  Father Xavier Alpasa has organized national movements on national issues such as agrarian reform, constitutional change, and key leadership posts. Known as an unconventional abridger of extremes, he founded the multi-awarded Rags2Riches, a social enterprise that connects prominent personalities from high-end fashion and the corporate world with the marginalized sector from the garage dumpsite capital of the county. He helped connect the most powerful figures in government and business to settle one of the most controversial land reform issues in Philippine history.
• Mahar Lagmay
  Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay is one of the leading scientific experts on natural disasters in the Philippines. He is the Executive Director of Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), a DOST initiative which aims to undertake disaster science research and development, advance the use of cutting edge technologies and recommend innovative information services in government's disaster prevention and mitigation efforts. He also lectures about Philippine Disasters in the Science Technology and Society course of the College of Science, University of the Philippines, by virtue of having hands-on experience in search-and-rescue and forensic analyses of major Philippine disasters.
• Gabe Mercado
  Gabe is a television host and an improvisational theater actor. He was the host of ABS-CBN’s critically acclaimed News and Current Affairs Program “Noypi: Ikaw Ba ‘To?” which examined modern cultural norms and values from 2006-2008 . He has been at the forefront of the improvisational theater scene in Manila as the Artistic Director and founder of SPIT, Manila’s first improv group, which he set up in 2002 after training with Second City founder Paul Sills at the Wisconsin Theater Games Center.
• Ben Rattray
  Ben is the founder and CEO of Change.org, the world’s largest and fastest-growing platform for social action, and leads the company’s strategic vision and product development. A graduate of Stanford University and the London School of Economics, Ben is a frequent public speaker about the intersection of technology and social change. He was recently named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012 and one of FORTUNE’s 40 Under 40 rising young business stars.
• Mike Sandejas
  Mike Sandejas, a filmmaker, is the in-house director of Abradadabra Inc. Production House in Makati, Philippines. He has won several awards including Best Film for TULAD NANG DATI in Cinemalaya 2006. He also received the Audience Award for DINIG SANA KITA in Cinemalaya 2009. His work has been featured in the Top 25 Independent Filmmakers of the Philippines (Philippine Daily Inquirer).