CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — For two days in late October, Greenleaf Hotel served as a regional testing ground where business executives, women startup founders, government planners, and university students mapped out how artificial intelligence can power Southern Mindanao’s economy.
Held Oct. 26 to 27, 2026, SOX Innovate 2026—organized by the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. in coordination with the City Government of General Santos and the Wadhwani Foundation—launched the five-day Transformative AI Network (TRAIN) SOCCSKSARGEN initiative.
Regional Momentum
Convened by former Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, head of the Philippine ICT Innovation Network and Digital Innovation for Women Advancement (DIWA), the GenSan leg set the tone before TRAIN moved on to Koronadal City on Oct. 28 and Kidapawan City on Oct. 29 to 30.
Anchored on the theme "Digital Business and Sustainable Growth," the gathering pushed local enterprises to look beyond basic automation and adopt practical, safe, and investment-ready digital tools.
Three Pillars
The summit opened Oct. 26 with Invest GenSan 2026, an AI-powered investment and digital business forum examining commercial transformation and emerging capital opportunities for local firms.
On Oct. 27, the Wadhwani Foundation facilitated the Business × Student Venture Ideation Sprint, pairing student innovators directly with company representatives to solve live industry bottlenecks, while the DIWA Founders Forum spotlighted women-led startups and inclusive entrepreneurship.
Public Support
Delivering welcome remarks on behalf of City Mayor Lorelie Geronimo Pacquiao, Executive Assistant Lou Bernardino underscored the city government's commitment to responsible artificial intelligence adoption for long-term economic resilience.
Local government coordination was anchored by the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office, led by Department Head Atty. Leonard V. Flores and Assistant Department Head Jose Kevin Sienes.
Private Backing
Co-presented by Wireless Link Technologies, Inc. and Sonic Networks, the two-day forum demonstrated growing private-sector alignment around reliable digital infrastructure across SOCCSKSARGEN.
Corporate backing from Add Even Education Ltd., GenSan VSM Realty Corporation, Sarangani Energy Corporation, Matutum Hardware Group, Kamanga Agro-Industrial Ecozone Development Corporation, South Cotabato Integrated Port Services, Inc., and Brigada Group helped sustain the chamber's push to keep regional enterprises competitive in the digital economy.
