The passage of the cybercrime law engaged the netizens of the Philippines in a star war at a time when Facebook announced its one billion cyberspace followers.  The netizens demonstrated their cyber power by seeding the cloud by assaulting government Web sites. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Supreme Court issued a TRO.  But this cyber issue need not end up in a black hole.  I would rather see it flourish under a Gaian galactic mother whose teachings are just beneath the stars. I would like to see a civil network society whose cyber power will help us evolve our consciousness at the realm of the noosphere [which I intentionally link with our Pilipino ‘noo’].  Let me cite three netizens whose cloud computing show a new dimension of our consciousness.

Sky is not the limit Cyber education potential has neither glass ceiling nor limits in the sky. According to Marc Raymond Co of Simplex Internet Philippines, a marketing graduate of De La Salle College of St. Benilde and MBA FEU-Makati student, “The race is now on for the whole world to evolve its educational system.” He cites the success of Kaplan Inc., the world’s largest diversified education company, for its Earn a Degree Online Program through partnership with various universities.  In additions, he says that learning can be through a “webinar” wherein people from all over the world attend a seminar by using communication platforms like webex.com and webinarbase.com. Lastly, he mentions ‘webcast/podcasting’ as another interactive learning mode that is done in private and online tutorials.




On Sept. 12, 2012, Gigi Muñoz-David and Jess Malabanan of Manila Standard Today reported the Education Department “planned to open cloud computing access to more than 600,000 public schools teachers nationwide.”  This pioneering project of DepEd under the leadership of Br. Armin Luistro, FSC will engage public school teachers and their students in a 21st century classroom in the cloud. As such, they will be seeding the cloud with knowledge and understanding under the watchful eye of an intelligent Gaian mother.

Beyond infotainment Here is how important cloud computing is for my daughter, Julie Anne, global HR director of Unilever.  I quote, “Today we are making personal and professional choices we couldn’t have made without technology.  My parents live in the Philippines, my boyfriend in the US; I live in the UK.  I’ve successfully worked remotely for weeks to balance my life during this interim set-up.  When people say technology changes lives, don’t just think of shallow infotainment via Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.  Think how it’s a crucial lifeline for people like me.”

During the London Olympics, she was allowed to work at home in Manila.  Our condo unit became her office from 5 p.m. to 12 midnight for London work schedule, and in addition she was also ‘working’ from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Unilever Manila. The wonder of it all was that, through the Internet and iPhone, she was virtually managing her business affairs at our condo unit in Vito Cruz.   And while she was with us for two weeks locally, she was also with her corporate family virtually, almost 24 hours a day!

Classroom in the cloud My wife felt that her teaching profession need not end with her retirement.  So she decided to create a classroom in the cloud.  Her life lessons, experience-based syllabi and life-long methodologies continue to evolve as she interacts with her global audience.

Previously, Pearl published two monographs but for her third book, she opted to use the Web site. She says: “Cloud computing has manifested as a Web site www.readerscenter.com.  It is being in the zone; it is being in the metaphysical level beyond the oppressive limitations set for traditional teaching about the immortality of humanity. Cloud computing is just one aspect of the power of my baptism; a belief from my religious upbringing.  The God-seed of diversity given to me at baptism has been empowered by the resurrection. Through the 90s especially when I was sick, I heard-felt constantly the message of forgiveness. I still don’t understand what I have to forgive.  Although life has not been that easy for me, I don’t feel miserable enough to be obsessed by the idea of forgiveness as repeatedly recommended by Michael Tamura, a favorite author.  My Web site makes me feel I have broken the glass ceiling set by society against women, especially those beyond 60 years of age.  The rules have barred me from the academe.  Through my Web site, I have found a more liberating classroom beyond the confines of age and space.”

In a span of three months, Pearl has already a thousand hits from her students, close friends and relatives and surfers locally and as far as Spain.  And so every day, she goes to class by opening her blackboard in the cloud.

Conclusion Cyberspace allows us to experience our humanity in cloud nine.  What drags us earthbound is our bodily ‘weight’ heavily concerned with our ‘mattereality’; what lifts us high up in the cloud is our consciousness that transcends our concerns as earthlings.  This means seeding the cloud.