How ideas can change the Philippines, according to TEDx

TED is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 that prides itself in promoting “Ideas Worth Sharing." With over 300,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 81 million video views to day, the organization is famous worldwide for sponsoring talks that are thought-provoking and moving. On Saturday, TED reached Philippine shores through TEDxDiliman: How Art and Culture Can Change Our World. While the “x" in TEDxDiliman means that it’s an event organized independent of the mother organization, the insights and ideas are brilliant all the same. The hashtag “TEDxDiliman" became a Twitter trending topic in the Philippines on Friday, proving just how influential the talks can be. Streaming live online, the four-hour event featured 11 local speakers from various backgrounds alongside several videos of TED Talks, all touching on how art and culture factored in journalism, television, movies and sports, to name a few. Entry into the TEDxDiliman event was difficult: only 100 people could be accommodated, but thankfully, the live audience reported the events as they happened:

As insightful as the TEDx talk was, it was beset with technical issues. During Glecy Cruz-Atienza and Patricia Evangelista’s talk, awkward delays were caused by an uncooperative computer and projector. Fernando Sena’s “How to Draw an Eye" session also accidentally featured an unrelated image from the projector, which proved to be distracting as Sena taught the audience how to draw vases and later, human faces. These glitches were also pointed out by the live audience: Technical slips and awkward lulls aside, TEDxDiliman was impressive. The speakers were engaging, inspiring and when appropriate, entertaining. Netizens particularly enjoyed Evangelista’s talk, made even more amazing by her crisp delivery and plethora of quotable quotes. Sena’s interactive drawing session also amused live and online audiences alike. The talk ended with a lightning mural and three songs from Filipino folk singer and composer Noel Cabangon. TEDxDiliman is promising. And who knows, we might see another TEDx (or maybe, even a TED) event in the Philippines sometime soon? — TJD, GMA News