{"id":7942,"date":"2026-09-03T11:30:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T03:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/philippines.wordcamp.org\/2026\/?p=7942"},"modified":"2026-09-04T11:08:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T03:08:59","slug":"wcph2026-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/philippines.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wcph2026-highlights\/","title":{"rendered":"#WCPH2026: Celebrating Community, Collaboration, and the Spirit of Open Source"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What an incredible two days it was!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordCamp Philippines 2026 brought the WordPress community together in Iloilo City<\/strong> for two days of learning, sharing, collaboration, and connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From inspiring talks and hands-on contributions to hallway conversations over coffee, this year\u2019s WordCamp was a reminder of what makes the WordPress community special: people coming together to learn, help one another, and build something bigger together.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while the sessions, workshops, and activities gave us plenty to learn from, some of the best moments happened in between them\u2014meeting someone new, catching up with an old friend, discovering a new idea, or simply having a good conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a look back at WordCamp Philippines 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordCamp Philippines 2026 by the Numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Behind every WordCamp are hundreds of people who make it possible. Here are a few numbers that help tell the story of this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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451 Registered Attendees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A total of 451 people registered<\/strong> for WordCamp Philippines 2026, bringing together WordPress users, developers, designers, business owners, contributors, community organizers, and enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of those 451 registered attendees, 434 checked in<\/strong> and joined us in person in Iloilo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All 451 attendees received their QR check-in emails<\/strong> before the event, making registration quicker and easier on the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The QR check-in system allowed attendees to simply scan their QR code when they arrived, while giving the organizing team an accurate and up-to-date view of attendance throughout the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping Track of Check-In<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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At the time the attendance data was recorded, the numbers were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

451 registered \u2192 434 checked in \u2192 17 did not attend<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a simple and reliable check-in process made it much easier for the team to keep track of attendees and manage registration throughout the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More importantly, those numbers represent real people who chose to spend their time with the WordPress community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two Days of Learning, Sharing, and Meeting People<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WordCamp Philippines 2026 brought together 451 attendees, 15 speakers, and 15 sponsors<\/strong>, with participants representing 15 countries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the two days, attendees listened to talks, exchanged ideas, asked questions, shared experiences, and discovered new ways to use and contribute to WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But WordCamp has always been about more than what appears on the schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most memorable moments happened in the hallways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They happened over coffee, during lunch, while waiting for the next session, and in those spontaneous conversations where someone says, \u201cHey, what do you work on?\u201d and a 10-minute conversation somehow turns into an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those moments matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re where people find collaborators, get advice, discover new opportunities, solve problems, and sometimes make friendships that continue long after the event ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contributor Day: From Using WordPress to Contributing to WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before the main conference, we kicked things off with Contributor Day<\/strong>\u2014an opportunity for attendees to go beyond using WordPress and experience what it means to contribute to the project and its community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This year, 322 contributors<\/strong> joined Contributor Day, including more than 260 first-time contributors<\/strong>, with participants taking part across 12 WordPress teams<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many of them, it was their first time contributing to WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the help of experienced contributors and table leads, attendees explored different ways to get involved\u2014from WordPress.org and documentation to community initiatives and other areas of the open-source project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s one of the things we love about Contributor Day: there\u2019s a place for everyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to be a developer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can contribute your time, your writing, your design skills, your ideas, your experience, or simply your willingness to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, contributing starts with something as simple as asking, \u201cHow can I help?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress 101: Building Websites and Online Shops<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As part of Contributor Day, we also hosted WordPress 101<\/strong>, a hands-on workshop for beginners who wanted to learn how to build their own WordPress website and online shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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39 participants<\/strong> joined the workshop and spent the day learning by doing\u2014from setting up WordPress and exploring the dashboard to building a website and creating an e-commerce site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workshop showed that getting started with WordPress doesn\u2019t have to be intimidating. With the right guidance and a little hands-on practice, anyone can start building something of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was great to see participants create, experiment, ask questions, and leave with the confidence to continue building with WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

36 Open Source Library Conversations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the highlights of Contributor Day was the Open Source Library<\/strong>, an activity inspired by the Human Library concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Instead of borrowing a book, participants could \u201cborrow\u201d a person and spend time having a meaningful conversation about their experiences, careers, communities, and journeys in open source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the event, we had 36 Open Source Library conversations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a simple idea, but it created some meaningful moments. People had the opportunity to learn directly from others in the community and hear stories and perspectives they might never encounter in a traditional conference session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Open Source Library reminded us of something important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open source isn’t just about code.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s about people, stories, knowledge, experiences, and the willingness to share what we know with others.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening the Conference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WordCamp Philippines 2026 officially opened with a warm welcome from former Iloilo City Councilor Jay Tre\u00f1as<\/strong>, representing Mayor Raisa Tre\u00f1as of Iloilo City<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The opening remarks highlighted the importance of bringing communities, technology, and people together, and welcomed WordPress enthusiasts from across the Philippines and around the world to Iloilo City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were also honored to have Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue<\/strong> deliver the keynote address, sharing her insights and inspiring attendees as we kicked off two days of learning, collaboration, and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Their presence helped set the tone for the event and reminded us that WordPress is not just about technology\u2014it is also about people, opportunities, and building communities together.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning From Our Speakers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We were fortunate to have 15 speakers<\/strong> share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives with the WordPress Philippines community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our speakers were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n