Last May 16, 2026, the local tech community gathered for an immersive, day-long experience at the Google Developer Group Cagayan de Oro’s Build with AI 2026 event. For the entire day, tech enthusiasts, students, and seasoned IT professionals filled My Hub Cagayan de Oro to explore groundbreaking developments in Artificial Intelligence technologies and tools from Google.
Diving Into the Agenda: Expert Insights and Hands-On Tracks
Speakers of the GDG Build with AI 2026 event
The morning session commenced with an inspiring opening keynote titled “Smarter Days Ahead: Real-Life Applications of Gemini 3” delivered by Freilla Mae Espinola, Executive Director & Board Member at Python Asia Organization. Attendees then split into parallel learning tracks designed to cater to both deep technical interests and non-technical workflows:
The Codelab Tech Track (Function Hall A):Ralph Vincent Regalado (Chief Scientist & Head of AI at Kollab and GDE for AI/ML) captivated developers with his deep-dive session, “Building and Deploying Multi-Agent System with ADK & Vertex AI Agent Engine”.
The Non-Tech Track Workshop (Function Hall B):Kevin Aton, an accomplished UX Engineer, guided participants through automation in “Building Your AI Assistant to automate your workflow using Google AI Studio”.
Following a collaborative lunch break, the afternoon session ramped up with more technical deep dives. In Function Hall A, Sermil Matoto (Chief Engineer at Kollab and GDE for Google Cloud) led an interactive session on “Bringing AI to Your Command Line: Hands-on with Gemini CLI”. Simultaneously, in Function Hall B, A.I. Solutions Architect Alexander Burias introduced developers to advanced coding paradigms in his talk, “Scalable Vibe Coding”.
The technical lectures culminated with an enlightening closing keynote by Cliff Amadeus F. Evangelio, an Instructor at Northern Bukidnon State College, who explored the academic frontiers of technology with “Google AI for Education”.
Powering Collaboration: Partners and Sponsors
The incredible scale of this event was made possible through the robust collaboration of local tech communities, academic organizations, and industry leaders who are deeply committed to driving innovation across Northern Mindanao.
Official Sponsors
Innovūze Solutions Inc. (Silver Sponsor)
Syntactics (Bronze Sponsor)
DICT Region X (Bronze Sponsor)
Official Sponsors of the GDG Build with AI 2026 event
Community Partners
Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan Computer Studies Student Council (CSSC)
PyTsada
Google Developer Groups on Campus – Xavier Ateneo
Community Partners of the GDG Build with AI 2026 event
Academic Partners
Computer Science Student Society
Student Council of Information Technology and Computing (SCITC)
Guild of Junior Data Scientists (GJDS)
Society of Information Technology Enthusiasts (SITE)
USTP – Computer Engineering Department
Academic Partners of the GDG Build with AI 2026 event
A Resounding Success for CDO’s Tech Ecosystem
The Build with AI 2026 event concluded with interactive games, a closing ceremony, and a memorable community group photo. The fullhouse and sold-out event proved that there is indeed a yearning from professionals and students in CDO and in the region to learn more and apply AI in their field. By bridging the gap between cutting-edge enterprise AI tools and local talent, GDG Cagayan de Oro has successfully fostered a collaborative environment that ensures the region remains at the very forefront of technological innovation.
