Blockchain Meets the Beat: Chain Stars Ignites Philippine Blockchain Week 2025

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Philippine Blockchain Week (PBW) 2025 transcended a typical tech conference this year, transforming Hall 2 of the SMX Convention Center Manila into a vibrant hub of talent, music, and innovation with the debut of "Chain Stars". Sponsored by Maya, a leading digital financial platform embracing Web3, Chain Stars showcased emerging Filipino performers and creators, fusing music, dance, and Web3 technology for two electrifying days.

The event wasn't merely a talent competition; it was a high-energy cultural showcase powered by creative powerhouses like the Center for Pop Music Philippines and the World Supremacy Battlegrounds (WSB). Attendees were treated to a vocal showdown featuring young singers mentored by the country's premier music training institution, performing everything from original songs to powerful pop covers. Sharing the stage was a dynamic dance battle, a PBW-exclusive edition of WSB's CHAMPIONS TOUR, which celebrated street dance with performances by soloists and hip-hop crews. The dance crews were judged by renowned figures in the hip-hop scene, including Kenjhons "Mr. Mainit" Serrano, Dize Akira, and Jancent Milante.

Photo of winners of Chain Stars’ Pocket Rocket Division, Monster Division, and Solo Division

John Paul Trelles emerged as the winner in the Solo division, impressing judges and audiences alike with his standout performance. In the Pocket Rocket division, The Comrades claimed the

top spot with their powerful and coordinated act. Rounding out the event, Ruthless Comrades dominated the Monster division, delivering an electrifying performance worthy of the title.

Group photo of Chain Stars’ Open Division Champion, OBS Fuego Eterno

OBS Fuego Eterno conquered the Open division with a commanding performance that stood out among fierce competition.

Group photo of Chain Stars’ Varsity Division Champion, The Chippettes

The Chippettes took home the victory in the Varsity division, bringing energy and flair that captivated the audience.

Photo of Indie Rising performer, CUCAY Pagdilao

Held inside PBW’s Hall 2, Chain Stars was just one part of a multi-sensory ecosystem. Hall 2 visitors also explored:

● Indie Rising: Super Tech Week Edition – a discovery platform for emerging musicians.

● Close Friends Only Creator Meet-Up & Sale – a fan-favorite hangout for content

creators and celebrities, packed with limited-edition merch and surprise appearances.

In a week packed with global keynotes and cutting-edge tech reveals, Chain Stars reminded everyone that innovation is also emotional, expressive, and rooted in community.

From pop ballads to breaking beats, Chain Stars captured the essence of what PBW 2025 stood for: creativity meets connectivity, and the future is powered by people and platforms like

Maya.

From left to right: Grand Winner John Yhel Gabonada, Second Place Winner Shedric Basilio, Third Place

Winner Aubrey Tato

Grand Winner John Yhel Gabonada wowed the crowd, securing the top spot. For his outstanding win, he received ₱10,000 in cash, a recording deal with MAS Music Group

From left to right: Photo of Chain Stars Judges: Jancent Milante, Dize Akira, Kenjhons “Mr. Mainit” Serrano, Mr. Julian Singson, Ms. Rowena Lauron

Sharing the stage with the singing competition, the Dance Battle, a PBW-exclusive edition of WSB’s CHAMPIONS TOUR, celebrated street dance with soloists and hip-hop crews and brought fire to the floor. These dance groups were judged Kenjhons “Mr. Mainit” Serrano, Dize Akira, and Jancent Milante, who are renowned in the hip-hop dance scene.

Chain Stars also seamlessly integrated technology into the performances. Selected dance crews, particularly those who represent the Philippines on a global scale, were "minted" into exclusive WSB COLLECTIBLES, giving fans a unique opportunity to own a piece of the performance through NFTs. The event also featured a Blockchain Introduction Talk, providing a beginner-friendly entry point into concepts like decentralization and tokenized economies, highlighting the event's mission to make Web3 accessible and inspiring.

The singing competition was a major highlight, shining a spotlight on exceptional homegrown talent. The top three standouts earned not only the crowd's admiration but also life-changing prizes to support their artistic journeys. Grand Winner John Yhel Gabonada impressed the audience and took home a P10,000 cash prize, a recording deal with MAS Music Group, and a 12-session scholarship in Voice & Stage Performance. Shedric Basilio, the Second Place Winner, was awarded P5,000 and a 6-session online Voice Training scholarship, while Third Place Winner Aubrey Tato received P3,000 and a 3-session online Voice Training scholarship.

The CHAMPIONS TOUR dance competition also drew large crowds with five divisions: Solo, Pocket Rocket, Varsity, Open, and Monster. The Chippettes were crowned champions in the Varsity division , while OBS Fuego Eterno conquered the Open division with a commanding performance. The Solo division winner was John Paul Trelles , The Comrades took the top spot in the Pocket Rocket division , and Ruthless Comrades dominated the Monster division.

Chain Stars was just one part of the multi-sensory ecosystem in Hall 2. Visitors could also experience "Indie Rising: Super Tech Week Edition," a platform for discovering emerging musicians, and the "Close Friends Only Creator Meet-Up & Sale," a fan-favorite hangout for content creators and celebrities featuring limited-edition merchandise and surprise appearances. Amidst a week of global keynotes and cutting-edge tech, Chain Stars served as a powerful reminder that innovation is also emotional, expressive, and deeply rooted in community. The event truly captured the essence of PBW 2025: where creativity meets connectivity, and the future is powered by people and platforms like Maya.

Cover photo: Chain Stars contestants from both dance and singing divisions come together for an epic photo op with the competition's judges.

A Techno-Tropical Revolution: Geeks On A Beach Returns to Cebu City this October 1-3

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

From a distance, it might look like a beach holiday —  trees swaying in rhythm with the breeze, the sparkle of a turquoise pool catching the morning light, and innovators in sandals sipping coconut juice under canopies of sun and sky. But this is no vacation. It’s the most refreshingly radical tech gathering in the Philippines: Geeks On A Beach (GOAB) — and it's making its long-awaited return to Cebu City from October 1 to 3, 2025.

Brought to you with the support of Wazzup Pilipinas, the nation's most dynamic online media platform, GOAB 2025 promises more than just another conference. It’s a collision of passion and paradise, a festival of forward-thinkers, tech tinkerers, startup dreamers, investors, designers, coders, and digital nomads — all converging not in suits and ties, but in flip-flops and sunglasses.

Code Beneath the Canopy, Collaboration By the Coast

At GOAB, the resort conference areas are your jam rooms, the pool your pitch deck, and the resorts grounds your brainstorming bunker. Here, the rigid sterility of conventional conference rooms dissolves into the vibrant energy of open-air dialogues and spontaneous collaborations. Laptops light up brighter than the Cebu sun as minds ignite ideas that could redefine industries.

Underneath the shades of the trees, conversations meander from venture capital to viral UX, from blockchain to biodiversity. In Cebu's lush and laid-back setting, GOAB strips innovation down to its most organic form — where the most disruptive ideas often emerge between sips of mango shake or serendipitous dips in the pool.

A Movement That Breathes, Builds, and Believes

GOAB has long been more than a tech summit. It is a movement.

A movement that believes innovation thrives where community thrives — not in high-rise buildings, but in human connection. Not behind corporate doors, but out in the open air, where imagination and ambition can stretch their legs.

From its previous waves in Boracay and Panglao to this stunning Cebu comeback, GOAB has built its legacy on trust, collaboration, and a deep respect for the local environment and culture. It’s tech with a conscience. Startups with soul. Code that counts.

From Casual Conversation to World-Changing Collaboration

It’s not unusual at GOAB for a beach or poolside chat to evolve into a million-peso startup. Nor is it rare for first-time attendees to walk away with mentors, funders, or co-founders. At GOAB, possibility is in the air, as thick as the salt spray from the sea.

Supported by platforms like Wazzup Pilipinas, GOAB remains committed to amplifying authentic Filipino innovation and entrepreneurship. It celebrates the builders, the believers, and the bold — those who see the Philippines not just as a market, but as a launchpad to global impact.

The Future Wears Flip-Flops

In a world addicted to fast-paced tech and high-pressure deadlines, GOAB is a radical pause — a breath of fresh island air in the thick of digital disruption. It’s a place where tech doesn’t feel like work, but like a shared adventure toward a better future.

So, whether you're a founder looking for your next investor, a developer seeking your tribe, a corporate exec hoping to connect with grassroots innovation, or just a curious soul wanting to see what the future feels like — this is your moment.

Geeks On A Beach 2025. Cebu City. October 1-3.

Come for the beach. Stay for the breakthroughs.

This isn’t just a gathering. It’s a revolution with its toes in the sand.

And the question is: Will you answer the call?

For more updates, insights, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content on GOAB 2025, follow Wazzup Pilipinas, your ultimate source for everything innovative, inspiring, and proudly Filipino.

A Constitutional Crisis Brews: The "Famine of Facts" in a Landmark Supreme Court Decision

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – A shadow of doubt has been cast over one of the Supreme Court's most monumental decisions, as a powerful constitutional watchdog issues a chilling warning. The Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA) has raised a red flag, asserting that the Supreme Court's ruling on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte may be built on a dangerous foundation: a "famine of facts." This dramatic pronouncement threatens to unravel the decision and ignite a constitutional crisis of epic proportions.

In a searing statement, PHILCONSA delivered a scathing critique, not of the final verdict, but of the very process that led to it. The organization's "Observations" reveal a profound concern that the Supreme Court overstepped its bounds by acting as a "trier of facts" rather than a mere interpreter of the law. This is particularly alarming, they argue, because the cases were "directly filed in the Supreme Court," bypassing the meticulous fact-finding process of a trial court and the Court of Appeals.

This shortcut, according to PHILCONSA, created a perilous situation. The cases, involving "highly contentious facts," were never "fastidiously established" through the rigorous checks and balances of the lower courts. As a result, the highest court in the land was left grappling with a void—a “famine of facts necessary to make a decision invulnerable to constitutional assaults.”

The implications of this "famine" are staggering. A Supreme Court decision, the ultimate arbiter of justice, is meant to be a pillar of certainty. It should stand impervious to challenge, its authority derived from an unshakeable foundation of truth. However, PHILCONSA’s statement paints a picture of a decision that is fundamentally weak, susceptible to being torn down by the very constitutional principles it is meant to uphold.

This isn’t just a legalistic argument; it's a dramatic call to action. The very balance of power between the branches of government is at stake. PHILCONSA’s document underscores that the “separation of powers, redefine the limits of power of government or change the calculus of the balance of power.” When the Supreme Court's decisions rest on a shaky factual basis, it risks redefining these sacred lines, paving the way for what the statement calls a "tyrannical" outcome.

The group’s plea is direct and urgent: "We therefore urge the Supreme Court to review the salient facts it relied upon in its Decision to make sure the facts speak the truth, for only a Decision based on indubitable facts can stand time and its vicissitudes."

The Supreme Court now faces a monumental choice. It can either ignore the storm clouds of doubt gathering on the horizon, or it can heed PHILCONSA’s warning and re-examine the foundation of its decision. The future of constitutional governance in the Philippines hangs in the balance, a high-stakes drama where the truth itself is on trial. Will the Supreme Court find a way to end the “famine of facts,” or will this landmark decision crumble under the weight of its own flawed foundations?

*** A "famine of facts" refers to a situation where a court, particularly the Supreme Court, lacks sufficient factual evidence to make a well-reasoned decision, potentially leading to a constitutional crisis. This can occur when the court is limited in its ability to investigate or when presented with incomplete or unreliable information. Such a situation can undermine public trust in the judiciary and raise questions about the legitimacy of the decision-making process, especially in cases with significant constitutional implications.