From Bohol streets to the Geeks On A Beach: Pedi App empowers tricycle drivers

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 





Cebu, Philippines – Pedi App, a homegrown local ride-hailing platform born in the streets of Tagbilaran, Bohol, is giving tricycle drivers new earning opportunities while offering commuters a fairer and safer way to travel. This year, Pedi App joined in Geeks On A Beach (GOAB) 2025 in Mactan, Cebu, where innovators, founders, and investors came together to celebrate Philippine startups making an impact from the ground up.


“At first, the idea was simple — could we help drivers earn more by becoming guides or even local real estate scouts, since they know the towns and barangays better than anyone? This was the idea of my co-founder Feliciano “Doy” Agta, a real estate businessman and son of a tricycle driver,” said Reagan Loberternos, Pedi App CEO and Co-Founder.


“When I came on board with co-founders Christian Lugod and Erwin Saycon, the idea evolved further. To address the problem facing commuters who have to haggle and feel overcharged, especially in tourist areas, we thought of building a platform that could regulate fares while ensuring drivers still earned a fair remuneration,” said Loberternos.


A researcher and entrepreneur, Loberternos brings intellectual depth, credibility and longevity to the startup. He holds a Master’s degree in Material Sciences at the University of the Philippines and previously served as a Research Fellow at the UP Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory.


Empowering Bohol’s tricycle drivers and commuters


Development of Pedi App began in 2021, and it was launched in Tagbilaran City in September 2022. Since then, the app has attracted 22,000 registered users and has over 400 active drivers.


Most passengers using the app are locals. However, there is a growing number of tourists, especially foreign visitors facing language barriers, who rely on the app for its transparent fare system. For drivers, the platform can provide an additional income of ₱800 to ₱1,000 daily by completing just 10 bookings, helping to supplement their traditional street hires.


“Unlike transnational ride-hailing companies, Pedi App was developed entirely by a local team,” said Loberternos. “That allows us to quickly customize features for each municipality and better understand the social and economic realities on the ground,” he added.


All drivers undergo training and must present a valid driver’s license and franchise before being onboarded. The app enforces standardized fares, and commuters can report overcharging or misconduct, which can lead to penalties or suspension.


Expanding beyond just rides


The app is now expanding beyond just rides. It is piloting several new features, including Pedi Xpress for deliveries, PediPay for digital transactions, and Pedi E-Ticket for ferry and transport bookings.


Discussions are underway to launch in Dumaguete by the end of the year. The franchise-style system will allow local operators to manage front-end services while Pedi provides the technological infrastructure. There has also been interest from partners across Southeast Asia and as far away as Denver, Colorado.


There are challenges to overcome: some tricycle drivers remain hesitant to adopt smartphones, while others are concerned about competition within the app. However, positive impact stories continue to emerge—such as those of drivers who have steadily increased their income and a disabled government employee who now relies on Pedi App for daily mobility.


For Loberternos and his team, the long-term vision is clear. “We see the Pedi App not just in Bohol, but in other parts of the Philippines, in Southeast Asia, and every place where tricycles and tuk-tuks are a part of daily life,” he said.


A community behind Pedi App


Pedi App’s journey is not only a testament to innovation but also to the supportive community that nurtured it. The startup is part of the Bohol Island State University Technology Business Incubator (BISU TBI) in Bohol, which provided essential guidance and mentorship during its early stages of development.


When GOAB was held in Bohol in 2023, the Pedi App team applied and was accepted as volunteers. This experience inspired them to continue growing. Two years later, Pedi App returned to GOAB not as volunteers but as participants.


This year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Bohol invited and sponsored the team’s participation in GOAB 2025, highlighting the increasing support for Bohol’s startup ecosystem.


Pedi App’s innovation has also garnered international recognition, with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) featuring its creative use of technology to empower local transport.

STPI Presents - Pacita Abad: Common Ground

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

STPI Presents 

Pacita Abad: Common Ground

25 October – 13 December 2025

STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery presents Pacita Abad: Common Ground, featuring artworks created during the late Filipino artist’s 2003 residency at STPI. After two decades, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience a significant body of her STPI works, alongside two of her iconic trapunto paintings from the Pacita Abad Art Estate. The exhibition runs from 25 October to 13 December 2025.

As the workshop’s third artist-in-residence and the first female to undertake the role, Abad fully embraced STPI’s experimental ethos in its formative years. In Singapore, Abad is most beloved for transforming the Alkaff Bridge into a rainbow of 46 colours and 2,350 circles—an iconic public artwork and testament to her belief in colour’s power to uplift communities. This latest exhibition arrives amid renewed global recognition for Abad, whose vibrant, boundary-crossing practice has recently been celebrated at major museum exhibitions and biennales worldwide.

“Pacita Abad’s practice, which championed cross-cultural dialogue and diversity, was ahead of its time in addressing what are now central concerns in contemporary art,” said Emi Eu, Executive Director of STPI. “Her fearless experimentation with materials resonates with STPI’s mission to push the limits of paper and printmaking. With this exhibition, we are proud to share an innovative chapter in her career with a new generation of audiences and celebrate an artist who illuminated the common ground that connects us all.”

Pacita Abad (b. 1946, Batanes, Philippines—d. 2004, Singapore) was an artist whose life and work spanned six continents and over 60 countries. “I always see the world through colour,” she once said. “I feel like I am an ambassador of colours, always projecting a positive mood that helps make the world smile.” Known for her bold canvases and textile-based works, Abad filled surfaces with dazzling colour, exuberant textures and abstract forms. Her palette, rooted in her Filipino upbringing and enriched by global traditions, became a radiant language of joy, resistance and connection.

During her three-month residency at STPI, Abad embraced the circle as her unifying motif—“direct, simple, modern, universal, intimate, fascinating and playful”. She turned circles into suns, moons, doorknobs, traffic lights and umbrella shapes, layering glitter, buttons, mirrors and luminous inks into richly coloured pulp. These kaleidoscope works shimmer with vitality, affirming colour as a universal language of optimism. 

Beyond aesthetics, her work challenged Western dominance in late 20th-century art and elevated often overlooked materials and practices. Migration, identity and social justice influenced Abad’s practice. Exiled from the Philippines at 23 for her family’s opposition to the Marcos regime, she settled in San Francisco and became immersed in activist and immigrant communities. Later travels to refugee camps along the Cambodia–Thailand border deepened her awareness of displacement and resilience, infusing her art with stories of shared humanity.

Pacita Abad: Common Ground reaffirms STPI’s role as a site of experimentation and dialogue with the international art world. Today, her works speak with renewed urgency, addressing culture, identity and diversity in ways that remain profoundly resonant.

Geeks on a Beach 2025 Crowns API Build Lab Winners in Cebu

Wazzup Pilipinas!! 

Cebu, Philippines – The Geeks on a Beach (GOAB) 2025 event concluded on October 3 in Cebu with the announcement of the API Build Lab winners, showcasing some of the most promising API-driven solutions from Southeast Asia. The top prize went to the Employer API, created by Jan Alvin Pabellon of Smile API. The First Runner-up was the KIVOE Identity API, developed by Elmer Joaquin of Kivoe, and the Second Runner-up was the FRED API, designed by Franczeska Lou Badong of Via Panisperna.

The API Build Lab, organized by 917Ventures through its API venture Concati, in partnership with GOAB,  invited developers and startups from the region to submit innovative API concepts that show strong potential for commercialization. Finalists participated in a two-week virtual Build Sprint from September 19 to October 2, where they received hands-on coaching and mentoring. They then pitched their solutions live at the GOAB event in Cebu.

An API (Application Programming Interface) acts like a digital intermediary, allowing different software applications to communicate with each other. This enables businesses to utilize existing tools and services, such as mapping or payment systems, instead of developing these solutions from the ground up. APIs save time and money while leading to enhanced and more integrated services for users.

Five finalists presented their solutions at the conference. Elmer Joaquin from Kivoe introduced the KIVOE Identity API, while Gabriel Catimbang from CSGUILD showcased the Lendr API. Franczeska Lou Badong of Via Panisperna unveiled the FRED API, Jan Alvin Pabellon from Smile API competed with the Employer API, and Christiansen Hermosilla from CHECK Technologies shared the Student Inference Engine. Each of these innovations highlighted the remarkable talent emerging from Southeast Asian developers.

At the finale, the Employer API from Smile API was crowned the Grand Winner, receiving a prize of ₱50,000. The KIVOE Identity API from Kivoe secured the title of First Runner-up with a prize of ₱30,000. The FRED API from Via Panisperna was named Second Runner-up and awarded ₱20,000. In addition to cash prizes, the winning APIs will also be published and monetized on Concati's open-exchange marketplace, offering developers opportunities to scale their solutions globally.

Smile API is a Philippines-based platform that helps businesses access employment and income data to provide faster and more reliable financial services. Kivoe is developing secure digital identity tools that simplify authentication and trust for online transactions. Via Panisperna, with its FRED API, focuses on creating data-driven tools that enhance information retrieval and management for enterprises. Together, these startups exemplify the growing diversity and impact of API-driven ventures in the region.

Since its inaugural edition in 2013, GOAB has served as a launchpad for startups, investors, and innovators across Asia to connect, collaborate, and create. This year’s conference, featuring the introduction of the API Build Lab, reaffirms its role not only as a platform for discussions but also as a launchpad for the next wave of solutions in fintech, e-commerce, logistics, and more.

Natasha Dawn Bautista, the Head of Growth Marketing and Corporate Relations at 917Ventures, delivered a keynote speech titled “Unlocking 917Ventures and Globe Group’s Unfair Advantage” at GOAB 2025. In her presentation, she shared insights on how 917Ventures enables startups to scale by leveraging the strengths of the Globe Group's digital ecosystem. Additionally, she served as a reactor for GOAB's lightning pitch sessions, where early-stage founders presented their innovative ideas, showcasing the vibrancy of the regional startup ecosystem.