World Pet Expo 2025: Redefining World-class industry experience

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The inaugural World Pet Expo 2025 successfully concluded its first-ever run last September 25–28, 2025, at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, marking a historic milestone as the Philippines’ first and largest all-inclusive pet expo. Drawing an impressive 35,780 attendees and 16,840 pets over four days, the event brought together pet lovers, industry leaders, exhibitors, and organizations on one vibrant platform that celebrated the pet industry like never before. From innovative showcases to exciting competitions and informative talks, World Pet Expo 2025 became a hub of discovery, connection, and celebration for the growing pet-loving community.

Behind this groundbreaking event is Worldbex Services International (WSI), the country’s leading exhibitions and events organizer. With a solid reputation for pioneering world-class trade shows across multiple industries, WSI extended its expertise to the pet sector, creating a first-of-its-kind expo that combined advocacy, entertainment, and innovation. By uniting exhibitors, partners, and enthusiasts, World Pet Expo 2025 not only highlighted the dynamic growth of the pet industry but also fostered a stronger, more connected community of pet owners and advocates.

The overwhelming success of World Pet Expo 2025 affirms the start of a lasting legacy—one that strengthens the bond between humans and animals while spearheading responsible pet care and welfare. As it sets the bar higher for future editions, World Pet Expo promises to remain the ultimate platform for collaboration, education, and celebration in the ever-growing world of pets.

The World Pet Expo 2025 is organized by Worldbex Services International and is for the benefit of the ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. For inquiries and concerns, you may reach us at (02)8656-92-69 or email us at inquire@worldbexevents.com

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

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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

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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.