PhilWiki Community/Engagement Survey, 2025/Philippine Wikimedia Conference Strategic Direction
Philippine Wikimedia Conference Strategic Direction
The PhilWiki Community organized the Cebu WikiConference 2025, a 3-day national conference of contributors on Wikimedia projects held in Cebu, Philippines. Among the sessions is the Movement Strategy, during which participants discussed the issues faced by contributors.
The strategy questions presented to the participants are the following:
- How can Philippine Wikimedia communities strengthen cooperation with other ESEAP affiliates?
- How can Philippine Wikimedia communities contribute meaningfully to the implementation of the Wikimedia Movement Strategy 2030?
- How can AI and machine learning support content creation in Philippine languages without compromising quality and authenticity?
- How do we ensure the inclusion of oral traditions, local literature, and marginalized knowledge systems in Wikimedia projects?
- How do we make Wikimedia communities in the Philippines more inclusive of indigenous peoples, linguistic minorities, and underrepresented groups?
- What is our collective vision for the Philippine Wikimedia in 2030 and beyond, and how do we measure progress?
How can Philippine Wikimedia communities strengthen cooperation with other ESEAP affiliates?
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"Philippine Wikimedia communities can enhance cooperation with ESEAP affiliates by co-creating projects, sharing skills, supporting emerging groups, building a strong regional hub, and promoting cultural and linguistic exchange."
"Let us build with them a directory of the organizational setup of the various ESEAP affiliates, with names/functions and then establish a community blog with these affiliates so that we can share ideas, developments, news, concerns, etc. Knowing each other better may foster enhanced networking and collaboration among the ESEAP members. Maybe later, we can include in planning/budgeting inter-affiliate visits on thematic projects/activities."
"Philippine Wikimedia Communities can strengthen cooperation with other ESEAP affiliates through collaborative projects like sharing skills, co-creating campaigns, supporting the ESEAP hub, and again forming partnerships."
"Through participation in regional collaborations such as the Wikipedia Asian Month campaign, attendance at ESEAP Conference and maintain networks with the affiliates and communities."
"More relevant events and activities that aligns with the foundation standards."
"workshops on topics like Wikidata, Commons, or Movement Strategy implementation."
""train more engaged volunteers"
"By engaging in joint projects like the Wikimedia Japan-Philippines Friendship Editing Month, the community can strengthen cooperation with ESEAP affiliates."
"By engaging in joint projects like the Wikimedia Japan-Philippines Friendship Editing Month, the community can strengthen cooperation with ESEAP affiliates."
"From what I see, cooperation between Philippine Wikimedia communities and our neighbors in ESEAP can open up so many possibilities. It’s about sharing what we know, learning from each other, and celebrating the culture and stories that connect us. I like the idea of joining edit-a-thons, exchanging skills, or even just being part of conversations that make our work stronger together. The thought of collaborating on languages, heritage, and regional projects feels exciting because it shows how local efforts can add up to something bigger. For me, even if I can only contribute a little—whether through editing, translating, or supporting events—I feel that it still matters. Small steps, when shared across communities, can really make a difference for free knowledge in our region."
"We can strengthen collaborations through joint projects, shared best practices, and capacity-building to learn from affiliates and apply their lessons locally."
"Collaborate with the ESEAP affiliates on different projects implemented in the Philippines and include them in implementing these projects."
How can Philippine Wikimedia communities contribute meaningfully to the implementation of the Wikimedia Movement Strategy 2030?
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"Philippine Wikimedia communities can enhance local languages, cultural heritage, inclusivity, and partnerships while actively engaging in global governance and innovation."
"Increase the community awareness campaign about the use of Wikimedia projects as an open source of knowledge and information."
I find the Wikimedia Movement Strategy 2030 very inspiring. It shows that even local communities like ours in the Philippines have an important role to play. What stood out to me is how we can share our languages, culture, and stories that are often missing online. It also matters that we support each other, keep our communities healthy, and welcome new voices. I like the idea of learning and growing together—through skills, leadership, and even partnerships with schools or groups. Most of all, I realized that every small effort, whether in editing, teaching, or documenting, can add up to something bigger for free knowledge."
"The PhilWiki community can focus on localizing the strategy by promoting Philippine languages, culture, and heritage in Wikimedia projects like WILMA and Wiki Loves Food/Earth.
Through active documentation of native and endemic species, cultural heritage, and local knowledge, we can help address knowledge gaps. Our role is to ensure that free knowledge reflects the diversity of the Philippines, aligned with the 2030 vision of knowledge equity."
"Create and improve articles about Filipino history, culture, indigenous knowledge, and local issues that are often overlooked in mainstream sources."
"Sustainability of programs must be foremost in our minds as we support the implementation of the Wikimedia Movement Strategy 2030. For PhilWiki, we must strategize in such as way that new and future projects can build on learnings from previous activities. I suggest we include junior/senior hs as well as freshmen college students in our future collaborations with educational institutions, applying our learnings in the Cararayan and UNC Wikiclub programs. Young minds contribute fresh ideas that are relevant to the evolving PhilWiki environment and, once capacitated, can become powerful human resources or wikimedians as we share our gains to the global community. Inclusivity may as well be redefined as one focusing on the young who have more stamina and who literally thirst for free knowledge."
"Philippine Wikimedia Communities can meaningfully contribute by preserving and supporting local knowledge, encouraging new contributors, ensuring inclusivity, and having partnerships or networks."
"Through participation in different campaigns and bridging knowledge gaps"
"A project or an initiative that is uniquely Filipino and globally competitive."
""train more engaged volunteers"
"Increase the community awareness campaign about the use of Wikimedia projects as an open source of knowledge and information."
How can AI and machine learning support content creation in Philippine languages without compromising quality and authenticity?
[edit]"AI and machine learning can enhance content creation in Philippine languages through translation aids, writing tools, and content suggestions, but human oversight is crucial for quality and authenticity. AI should support communities, not replace local voices and cultural knowledge."
"Building content in the local languages through Wikisource and Wikipedia would help improve the machine translation over time"
"Generate content using AI but proofread and finetune it with human intervention accompanied with human-generated or human-crafted images."
"Submit conventionally."
"AI-assisted editing and content writing."
"AI should support, not replace, local expertise—assisting in translation, transcription, and accessibility while ensuring cultural authenticity and linguistic accuracy."
"AI can assist in translating content between English and Philippine languages, making knowledge more accessible."
"AI can really help make it easier for people to create and access content in Philippine languages, but it has to be done carefully. Tools like translation, speech-to-text, or even image tagging sound exciting, especially if they can support our local languages and make knowledge more accessible. What I like most is the idea that AI should never replace people—it should just support communities and make editing or sharing knowledge a little easier. Of course, it’s important that native speakers and local experts are always part of the process so that what’s produced stays true and respectful. Small efforts, together with technology and community, can go a long way in preserving and sharing our knowledge."
"To maintain quality and authenticity, the AI translations, OCRs, and the transcription tools are used along with community-and/or-human validation and review AI can really help make it easier for people to create and access content in Philippine languages, but it has to be done carefully. Tools like translation, speech-to-text, or even image tagging sound exciting, especially if they can support our local languages and make knowledge more accessible. What I like most is the idea that AI should never replace people—it should just support communities and make editing or sharing knowledge a little easier. Of course, it’s important that native speakers and local experts are always part of the process so that what’s produced stays true and respectful. Small efforts, together with technology and community, can go a long way in preserving and sharing our knowledge."
"Conduct a capacity-building activities to editors (Wikipedians) on proofreading of AI generated works. Also, we can conduct learning sessions to new language editors on proofreading these AI generated content to increase the awareness of community members on responsible development of different content in different wikimedia projects."
"Conduct short sessions on AI utilization, including dos and donts, with exercises on how to harness AI technology to develop certain topics, or to produce/process usable data relevant to Wiki programs."
"To avoid compromising quality and authenticity of content, human intervention is still needed. We need to proofread, spell-check, detect errors, and quality check."
How do we ensure the inclusion of oral traditions, local literature, and marginalized knowledge systems in Wikimedia projects?
[edit]"To include oral traditions, local literature, and marginalized knowledge systems in Wikimedia, we need a community-first approach: ethically documenting and digitizing knowledge, empowering local voices, using diverse content formats, and establishing respectful partnerships. This ensures Wikimedia reflects the full richness of Philippine and global cultures, not just the dominant mainstream sources."
"Conduct activities that enrich content on local culture and indigenous languages"
"Dig deeper into these areas and explore possibilities for collaboration and growth"
"From my own experience, I preserve authenticity by engaging with communities, respecting their voices, and documenting their stories with proper attribution."
"Advocate for tools and policies that accommodate unwritten or partially written languages, as discussed in the Wikimedia oral culture integration session."
"By partnering with indigenous communities, documenting oral traditions and local literature, and digitizing"
"provide research grants"
"I see how important it is to make Wikimedia in the Philippines more open and inclusive, especially for indigenous peoples, smaller language groups, and communities whose knowledge isn’t always written down. There’s so much wisdom in oral traditions, local literature, and everyday culture that deserves to be part of free knowledge. What inspires me is the idea of listening first—working with communities, not just for them—and making sure they have a voice in their own language and on their own terms. I may not be an expert, but I know even small things—like helping record stories, sharing local words, or supporting events—can add up. For me, it’s about respect, making space, and showing that every voice matters."
"Include them in the movement. Their knowledge is essential and significant in the reliability of the knowledge. Coordination with these underrepresented groups may be explored to expand the horizon and scope of the Wikimedia projects."
"Include these in the digitization project. Interview the elderly and record their stories, music, proverbs, beliefs and cultural practices, the relationships among family members within and outside the family, -- knowledge that might already be endangered without being passed on to the next generation.. Include possible family heirloom recipes, old books and manuscripts they might want to donate to libraries or that we may digitize and/or translate to Philippine languages as part of WILMA."
"To ensure inclusion of oral traditions, local literature and marginalized knowledge in Wikimedia projects we need to have partnership and trust-building initiative to cultural bearers like them, inclusive editing is also a good practice, train locals and include them on editing and workshops."
How do we make Wikimedia communities in the Philippines more inclusive of indigenous peoples, linguistic minorities, and underrepresented groups?
[edit]"Inclusivity in Philippine Wikimedia communities can be achieved by building representation, breaking language and access barriers, providing capacity-building support, respecting cultural protocols, fostering partnerships, and empowering local leadership. Indigenous peoples and minorities should lead the narration of their own knowledge."
"Through sustainable outreach activities in the Visayas and Mindanao"
"I think it would be best to tap into far flung areas to collaborate with the particular institution"
"train them as editors"
"one way is by going directly to the communities—listening to indigenous peoples, linguistic minorities, and underrepresented groups, and documenting their knowledge with care and attribution. My approach of immersing myself in protected areas, capturing native and endemic species, and valuing overlooked stories can be extended to people too, ensuring their voices and traditions are represented in Wikimedia with respect and authenticity."
"Creating a more inclusive Wikimedia community in the Philippines means reimagining participation—not just inviting people in, but reshaping the space so it reflects their knowledge, values, and voices."
"By creating a safe, welcoming space for them, providing training, support and giving equal opportunities"
"I think making Wikimedia more inclusive in the Philippines is really about listening and making space for voices that don’t always get heard—especially from indigenous peoples and smaller language groups. It’s not just about asking them to join, but about making sure the platforms and rules work for them, too. What stood out to me is how much it matters to respect languages, stories, and traditions on their own terms."
"Develop projects involving them. Answer in question 4 may be integrate."
"Invite them as participants or to share knowledge in thematic wiki seminars or workshops. New ideas on possible projects might come up with their inputs or with them gaining insights that might inspire them to collaborate with PhilWiki. With this, they would empowered and feel they also belong to a wider community."
"To make Wikimedia communities in the Philippines more inclusive of these groups, we must invite them, create circles with them, support their local language on Wikipedia, promote multi-lingual editing or develop a translation project with them, provide scholarship and support to them, conduct edit-a thons in local communities, with friendly space policy also to have partnership with them."
What is our collective vision for the Philippine Wikimedia in 2030 and beyond, and how do we measure progress?
[edit]"The vision for Philippine Wikimedia in 2030 is to create a diverse, inclusive, and resilient free knowledge movement that amplifies Filipino voices and connects them to the global Wikimedia ecosystem. Progress will be measured by knowledge equity, community growth, partnerships, technological innovation, and sustainability."
"We hope to see a vibrant community of open-content creators in the Philippines increasing the readership of Philippine language editions by 50% in 2030."
"More interactive and informative activities and attendance growth. More volunteers for the movement."
"Our vision is to make Philippine Wikimedia more inclusive and knowledge-rich by 2030, and we measure progress through stronger local representation, community engagement, and lasting contributions."
The collective vision for Philippine Wikimedia in 2030 and beyond is rooted in knowledge equity, cultural resilience, and inclusive innovation. It imagines a thriving ecosystem where Filipino communities—urban and rural, mainstream and marginalized—actively shape the global knowledge commons in their own languages, voices, and values."
"a community that safeguards Philippine knowledge and languages"
"can be measured through more new editors/contributors/volunteers"
"use of wiki stat and metrics"
"I see the collective vision for Philippine Wikimedia in 2030 as finding a balance where technology and tradition support each other. It feels inspiring to imagine old wisdom and modern tools working together, hand in hand. It's about making sure voices, languages, and cultures that are often left behind finally have space to shine. It emphasizes on inclusion, cultural preservation, and even using technology to make things easier for everyone—not just those already privileged with access. Maybe progress doesn’t always have to be just about numbers. We can look at how many local voices are joining in, how often communities feel represented, or even how much pride people take when they see their heritage on Wikimedia should already be progress in itself."
"I envisioned to have a strengthened wikipedia projects in different languages in the Philippines. Have a open knowledge resource platform that is accepted by different Universities and education institutions in educating communities."
"Moving on from the five Ps, a community where free and equitable knowledge serves the community, where the community is empowered to access information, contribute to its development, and use knowledge in its own local language. Such vision must be aligned with the Wikimedia Movement Strategy 2030. Progress can be assured if we continue to engage in community surveys and use data gathered in making decisions. It is always helpful to extend beyond the community to collaborate with similar-minded institutions toward the global direction."
"We should thrive through knowledge equity, collaboration with schools, libraries, Use of Ai, mobile tools and even enable offline access to make knowledge accessible. Sustainability and well-supported Wikimedia community across the Philippines. To measure progress on this, Representation and Inclusion is needed, engagement and growth monitoring, integration of Wikimedia projects into classroom or curriculum, in quantitative metrics and qualitative impact stories."
