Spreading the Spirit of Free Knowledge in the Philippines and Beyond (Part 2)

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Philippine Wikimedia Community User Group, a registered non-stock non-profit organization dedicated to promoting unrestricted access to knowledge within and beyond the archipelago. This article is the second part of a 3-part series on the PhilWiki Community’s 10 Milestones, celebrating 10 amazing years.

The Philippine Wikimedia Community aims to initiate, promote, participate, create, organize, develop and engage in projects, programs and activities that promote free, responsibly open-content resources and reference materials, in English and different Philippine languages through sustainable, creative and innovative projects, and partnerships with local government units, government agencies, academia, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

10 MILESTONES OF THE PHILWIKI COMMUNITY

To continue, here is the list of major achievements of the Philippine Wikimedia Community User Group in the last decade:

4 – Wiki Loves Philippines: Promoting the country’s natural and built heritage since 2018

Wiki Loves Philippines project lead Maffeth Sto Tomas has annually organized the local Wiki Loves Earth (WLE PH) campaign, a nationwide nature photography competition, earning the Philippines a distinction as the only country in the Asia-Pacific region that has organized the competitions for seven consecutive years. 

Silay City-based macro photographer and WLE PH grand winner Mark Kineth Casindac won top prizes in the international round of the competition. In 2023, he placed 5th in the macro/close up category for his photograph showing two blue banded bees found in the lowland area of Northern Negros Natural Park. In 2024, he captured the 6th prize for his photograph depicting two potter wasps (see left photo below). 

Its sister competition, Wiki Loves Monuments Philippines (WLM PH), which is dedicated to documenting the built heritage in the country, is also being organized annually by the PhilWiki Community since 2018 with Irvin Sto. Tomas as the project lead.

WLM PH top winner Emman Foronda of Ilocos Norte earned the 16th place recognition in the International WLM 2024 for his striking photograph of Christ the King Parish Church (see right photo below), emphasizing its spiritual prominence amidst urban modernity. The same entry was adjudged 1st Place in the Special Prize for Places of Worship in the International WLM 2024.

Several Filipino photographers have also earned recognition in the International Wiki Loves Earth and Wiki Loves Monuments campaigns among them are Cagayan de Oro lensmen Glenn Palacio winning 6th prize (2019) over-all, and Dominador B. Asis, Jr. winning 2nd prize (2021) in the macro/close up category; and Michael Angelo Luna of Batangas winning 8th prize (2020) overall as well as the Special Nomination for Human Rights and Environment (2023) for his photograph depicting an up close view of Taal Volcano’s ash-covered rugged terrain. 

More than 40 participants, comprising past winners in Wiki Loves Philippines contests and Commons Wikimedia contributors, gathered at the inaugural WikiCommons PH Conference held from December 19-20, 2023 in Naga City.

The 3-day event was a collaboration between PhilWiki Community and Commons Photographers User Group, in partnership with the City Government of Naga, University of Nueva Caceres Museum, Center for Rinconada Culture and the Arts at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, and Social Sciences Department at Ateneo de Naga University.

Photos: Wiki Loves Philippines photography contest winners gathered at WikiCommons PH Conference in Naga City. (Alvin Casitas, CC BY-SA 4.0)

5 – WILMA PH: A program inspired by Indonesia’s Wikisource Loves Manuscripts

The first year of the Wikisource Loves Manuscript (WILMA) Philippines program, led by program manager Irvin Sto. Tomas, was a huge success in making the PhilWiki Community as the first implementer of the WILMA program outside Indonesia. As a result, the Language Committee of the Wikimedia Foundation approved new Wikisource projects in the Bikol and Tagalog languages in October 2024 and March 2025, respectively.

The PhilWiki Community is actively supporting programs, advocating the preservation of indigenous languages and intangible heritage through the WILMA PH program, in partnership with the Bikol Wikipedia Community and Nueva Caceres Heritage Movement Inc.

During the first phase of the WILMA PH training held in June 2024, participants had a basic training course on transcribing, proofreading, and validating of Wikisource pages. In the second phase, held from July to August 2024, around 40 participants, including cultural practitioners and students, completed an advanced training course and the Bikol Wikisource Training of Trainers (TOT). At the end of the first year of implementation, participants were engaged in transcribing, proofreading and validating over a dozen translations of novels, novenas, metrical verses, among others, through symposia, workshops, and proofreading contests.

The novels ‘Noli me tángere’ (1887) and ‘El filibusterismo’ (1891) originally written in Spanish by Philippine national hero Dr. José Rizal were translated into the eight major Philippine languages by the Jose Rizal Centennial Commission (JRCC) in the 1960s. These masterpieces along with his other literary works are now available on Wikisource and other digital libraries. The JRNCC publications became digitally available only in 2023 via the National Memory Project of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

Wikisource – The Free Library – is a collaborative project to create a growing free content online library of source texts, as well as translations of source texts in any language. Wikisource text units have been created in 79 languages. Six more Wikisource editions in the Philippine languages are underway. 

At the Wikisource Conference 2025 held in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia, Irvin and Maffeth Sto. Tomas presented in the session Collaboration Toward an Open GLAM: The Case of Wikisource Loves Manuscripts in the Philippines, wherein they talked about the best practices for sustaining the activities, strategies in fostering collaboration among the participants, and the learnings and challenges in implementing the WILMA PH program. The event with the theme Wikisource: Transform & Preserve Heritage was an international gathering to enhance global collaboration among Wikisource contributors.

6 – Project GLAM and the inaugural GLAM Wiki Conference in Vigan

The PhilWiki Community launched Project GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, museums) at the National Museum of the Philippines – Manila in September 2023 and the following year, the GLAM Wiki Conference Philippines was held at the UNESCO World Heritage City of Vigan.

The project aims to document some of the important ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and visual arts collections displayed at the National Museum of Anthropology, Natural History, and Fine Arts departments. The GLAM program committee is currently being chaired by Francis Charles Brioso.

The GLAM Wiki Conference Philippines 2024 was held in partnership with the National Museum of the Philippines – Ilocos. The 3-day national training conference gathered different cultural heritage advocates and professionals from GLAM institutions with the vibrant Wikimedia communities. Anchored on the theme “Empowering Communities Toward an Accessible Knowledge of Cultural Heritage,” participants discussed collaborations on open digital resources and cultural preservation. 

During the opening program, Paolo Mar A. Chan, Head of the National Museum of the Philippines – Vigan, gave his welcome remarks and presented the mandate, programs and services of the museum. Sakti Pramudya, PhD. – Senior Partnerships Manager, East South East Asia and Pacific (ESEAP) Wikimedia Foundation, delivered the Keynote Address.

Since conference, the PhilWiki Community has conducted more than a dozen GLAM outreach activities in various institutions in Manila, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Cebu and Negros Occidental from documenting collections to museum mapping.

To date, volunteers have identified valuable manuscripts and captured collections displayed at the National Archives of the Philippines in Manila; Malacañang ti Amianan in Ilocos Norte; Baluarte Zoo and Safari Gallery, Crisologo Museum, and Ilocos Sur Provincial Jail; Rizalian Library at Knights of Rizal Naga City Chapter, James O’Brien SJ Library, Raul S. Roco Library, Museo ni Jesse M. Robredo, Museo Historico de Universidad de Santa Isabel, Museo del Seminario Conciliar de Nueva Caceres, and the University of Nueva Caceres Museum in Naga City; National Museum of the Philippines – Daraga in Albay; Museo Sorsogon; and Port San Pedro, Museo de Parian, Yap-San Diego Ancestral House, Casa Gorordo and National Museum of the Philippines – Cebu.

7 – Closing the Gaps: Feminism, Fashion and Folklore

The PhilWiki Community has closed the gap!

A total of 807 articles have been contributed by Filipino Wikimedians through the local FNF Campaign. Most of the articles were contributed by Bicolano freelancer Roderick Sumalinog who placed 10th overall in the 2024 FNF edition organized by the Open Heritage Foundation. In 2021, Irvin Sto. Tomas and Maffeth Opiana earned the 6th and 10th prizes in the WikiGap Challenge, respectively, an international competition organized by Wikimedia Sverige and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs with support from the United Nations Human Rights. Maffeth also completed the 100 Wiki Days challenge, twice!

Photos: Kaing Festival is a celebration of culture and bounty harvest of the municipality of Leon, Iloilo. By Mhlayson (CC BY-SA 4.0); Kaamulan Festival 2023 of Malaybalay, Bukidnon. By Fpj455 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The International Feminism and Folklore (FNF) Campaign aims to address gender gaps on Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons by exploring the dynamic intersection of folk culture and diverse gender perspectives. Similarly, the WikiGap Campaign is an international writing competition to strengthen Wikipedia’s coverage of women and related topics in as many languages as possible.

Photos: Child’s Faith to Santo Niño. By Michol Sanchez (CC BY-SA 4.0); Sandurot Festival. By Herbert Kikoy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In the Wiki Loves Folklore PH contest, a total of 1,771 images of folk culture from the Philippines were added on Wikimedia Commons since 2020. The entry entitled Child’s Faith to Santo Niño of Cebuano event photographer Michol Sanchez emerged as grand winner in the Wiki Loves Folklore 2022 photography contest. Surigao native shutterbug Herbert Kikoy won 2nd prize (Sandurot Festival) and 3rd prize (Viva for Niño) in the 2021 and 2020 editions, respectively, in addition to numerous consolation prizes. Graphic artist Rio Ubatay of Dapitan won 2nd prize for his entry Kinabayo Festival in 2019, and Cebu’s Francisco Pajares Jr. earned the 3rd prize for his entry Pintaflores Queen in 2021.  

The PhilWiki Community organized a sister competition called Wiki Loves Fashion in the Philippines which aims to improve and increase the available media of fashion and clothing in the Philippines reflecting its modern and traditional clothing. Raniel Jose Castaneda dominated the competition winning the top prizes in the 2021 and 2022 editions. His winning photograph in 2022 depicts the T’nalak Festival.

End of Part 2. This article is a 3-part series on the PhilWiki Community’s 10 Milestones, celebrating 10 amazing years.