RODOLFO VILLARICA, who is called the “Father of the Philippine Internet,” gave a very interesting speech last night during the Philippine Internet Commerce Society’s 5th National E-Commerce Congress and Exhibit, which was also a celebration of the 13th anniversary of the Internet in the Philippines.

Villarica recounted the chain of events that eventually launched the Philippines into cyberspace, and paid tribute to two individuals who gave invaluable support but whom he had previously failed to acknowledge for their role in making this dream a reality.

Villarica also hailed the efforts of the late Ricardo Gloria, the former education secretary who played a key role in bringing the Internet to the Philippines.

Here’s a video clip of Villarica’s speech from our YouTube channel.

Villarica, a Cebuano, quipped that even as Ferdinand Magellan discovered Cebu, Cebu brought the world to the Philippines via the Internet.

Hmm, 13 years of the Philippine Internet. Let’s hope that won’t prove to be an unlucky number, heh. I’m not superstitious — are you?