DAVAO CITY — Nearly 200 journalists, communicators, and students gathered at Holy Cross of Davao College on Saturday (August 8 ) for Istoryahay 2026: The Kadayawan Media Caravan, a full-day forum on AI, culture, and community storytelling.
The Kadayawan Media Caravan, a full-day gathering built around one simple idea: istoryahay, the Visayan word for storytelling and conversation. Participants included representatives from the Philippine News Agency (PNA), the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Radyo Pilipinas, ABS FM Davao, Mindanet Balita, MindaNews, Davao Today, other local online and print media outlets, Davao-based digital creators and vloggers, and campus journalists from communications and tourism programs across the region. Delegates from Caraga (Surigao), Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro also joined.
Organized by Ayala Corporation and Ayala Foundation in partnership with Holy Cross of Davao College, the event was held following the opening of the Kadayawan Festival.
Morning sessions tackled artificial intelligence and its growing role in local journalism. Ana Pista, APR, president of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines and founder and CEO of Ardent Communications and the AI Center for Excellence, discussed how AI is reshaping communications work across Asia, drawing on her work with the Global PR Alliance and her focus on stewarding the stories, arts, and culture of a people for greater self-awareness, unity, and positive change. She delved into how cultural mapping is helping communities find their footing not only in the social sphere, but also in other aspects of community life.
Jaemark Tordecilla, a journalist, technologist, media advisor on digital transformation and generative AI, and Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, shared his work building AI newsroom tools for journalists across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and the United States — recognized by the Reuters Institute and in computational journalism circles. He shared details of how organizations and individuals are unearthing stories through numbers, aided by appropriate AI tools with appropriate prompts.
In the afternoon, a Health Desk learning session with PhilHealth included on-site PhilHealth registration for participants, alongside Globe’s Digital Thumbprint, which gave the participants reminders and practical tips for a safe digital lifestyle, covering online verification, digital footprint awareness, and responsible social media use.
The day closed with the official Mindanao launch of the UN International Volunteer Year 2026. Ayala Foundation marked the occasion by opening access to the Brigadang Ayala V-App, a platform connecting individuals and organizations to active volunteerism programs across the region.
The ultimate goal is to produce a Mindanao Istoryahay 2026 story map, drawing on contributions from every participant, to be published across media outlets or personal social media pages not only during Kadayawan but beyond. #
