Posted by KsThomas on February 16, 2012 at 6:15pm
I am part of a company that is looking to open an IT office in the Philippines, we are wondering how many Drupal peeps we have in Manila VS Cebu. Give a shout out if you are from Metro Manila or from Cebu. If you are from another main city and you want to represent go for it (Cagayan, Bacolod, Baguio, Davao, etc...)
Also Take a look at our job posting for current work: http://groups.drupal.org/node/210583
Comments
Update...
I did spend 4 years in beautiful Cebu but my partner spent 2 in Luzon so we are looking for some influence people!
Hi Kyle, Welcome to the
Hi Kyle,
Welcome to the Drupal Philippines group. First of all, there's a group on facebook that you might want to check out:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/phdrug
Regarding your concern about location -- I'd say it's a very tricky question because unlike in the US/EU where Drupal is a daily staple among developers ... it's a different scene here in the PH Islands.
My best advice is: regardless of which major city you invest in -- always make sure that your operations & company-culture is compatible with the folks you'll hire. Different region = different subculture (just like in the States).
Just like my friend from Futurama says... resistance is futile, and it's safer to work with people you'll learn to love in a place where everyone can grow.
Oh. Do add Cavite, Taguig & Bulacan to your list.
Marckee for Short
Thanks Marcky
I can tell you that I loved living in the PH Islands, and I do miss it in many ways. I agree the cultures can be quite different, I quickly learned to tell the difference between the different locations in my employees.
I knew I would leave some cities out... Sorry and by all means add yours to the list if its not there!
So do you see the Drupal community growing well or do you think it is still an under used framework there in the Philippines?
growing, but needs extra (hard) push
Glad you agree. Nice to know you enjoyed your stay here. Where to?
The community is growing, but we find ourselves needing to up the ante in terms of development projects/workflows in general. It's not always about the developers (skills do matter, it's a given), but rather putting an equal weight to the quality (and types) of projects.
Recently we're seeing a high trend of job opportunities focusing on WordPress / Drupal customization over here... mainly because labor is cheaper by outsourcing here - sshhh! Don't tell the big "O" (as in Obama).
Now going back to quality of projects - it's currently divided (as developers here are segregated) between commercial and non-profit projects. Start-ups are a different story (often fails, but the lessons are worth it).
Now where are our developers at? You'll surely find them in their new home: Singapore, Australia, US/Canada. Viva la vida!
Marckee for Short
Lovin the PHI since 2005
I lived in Cebu from early 2005 to late 2008, about 3 years 10 months. I had my owe outsourcing company and I merged with a much larger company that is now based in Manila. We are in year two of a new venture with my new partner and we are excited to start looking at opening an office in the Islands again.
The nice thing about Drupal is the ability to still put your HTML, CSS and PhP skills to use within the framework. We are looking for dev's who are familiar with the Drupal CMS but I think there is a wealth of good PhP and HTML developers there in the Philippines. How is the HTML5 adoption going there?
Wow, 3 years is a long time.
Wow, 3 years is a long time. It must be scary at first? (just kidding) I'm sure expats blend nicely in the PH community.
As per HTML5 adoption, I wouldn't say I'm very aware since I base my statistics on how many developers / companies are mobilizing their websites. Also, since HTML5-based IDE's and API are very rare at this time of writing, I'd say only people who live in the cutting edge are the early adopters. Trying to recall, but you'd find most HTML5 enthusiasts at the Google Users Philippines groups. Probably long a way to go but since responsive Drupal 7 theming is becoming a trend we'll see more adopters and/or adapters.
Which reminds me... why do you ask? Is your current Drupal shop solely focused on HTML5-based solutions? Just curious...
p.s. pardon the late reply. I was locked into the 2-day GADC event.
Marckee for Short
HTML5 support
I am not sure I have ever been scared traveling, I don't scare easily.
As for why I was asking, we want to focus on HTML5 applications so we can interact with the mobile world more seamlessly.
just in case you missed it
Just in case you missed it, there are 2 events this upcoming days:
Perhaps next year you can join the fun when you're already within the vicinity.
Marckee for Short
I do not know if there is a
I do not know if there is a truly quantifiable way to answer your question.
If pushed to answer I'd say your chances of getting qualified staff at either location is probably even, or maybe a little skewed to Manila purely because it's the capital and there are more people there.
In other words if you can find a good dev at cebu you can probably do just as well in manila, and vice-versa.
Hope that helped although probably not :D
Greetings from Cebu
I'm from Cebu. And as a base of operations, I think Cebu offers better living conditions and lower cost of living. Frankly, life here is not as hectic as in Manila and you won't waste too much time held up in traffic.
By the way, I was born in Quezon City and grew up in Metro Manila until we moved here when I was in high school. So, I know what it's like to live in both places. The only reason probably why I would choose Metro Manila over Cebu is when I want to serve a bigger market. But if the venture is serving foreign clients, Metro Manila's advantage in size becomes irrelevant.