Cebu needs more Software Design Engineers

As it turned out, software development and IT companies in Cebu City are clamoring for more qualified software design engineers. The supply is very low against the demand. This is evident from the job postings run on local newspapers that has been going on for about three months already. Top IT companies in Cebu City who are engage in software development are aggressively staffing there respective departments and units as a result of continued growth and more business opportunities to develop and market new products. Some software development companies are hiring more as a result of expansion. A few multinational companies are relocating their research and development units to Cebu City. The effect is underpopulation and a mad scramble of these companies to hire the best software design engineers.

As of the latest, NCR is hiring around 30+ software developers and 30+ web programmers. Lexmark has postings for several positions from firmware engineers, device driver engineers to software engineers. NEC Telecom Software Philippines has been looking for software design engineers for its Cebu and Manila offices. Epson, Exist and Alliance Software have been aggressively in a hunt. Joining them are Infoweapons, ICOMM and other IT companies.

A particular areas where there is a very high demand are system level development for Unix and Windows, Java programming, device driver/low-level programming and Web programming. Minimum qualifications for system level and device driver programming are C, C++, Unix, MFC and networking. PHP, AJAX, SOAP, XML and javascript for Web programming while JLook, JBOSS, XML, NMS, applets, and java-beans for Java programming.

So hurry now, Cebu is seeking out software design engineers like you.

Laughing your hearts loud!

If laughing is the best medicine, then probably this place is worth a visit once in a while to charge and reinvigorate ones soul. 22nd St, a comedy bar at the uptown Cebu City, is not just a typical comedy bar, but a place where one can truly laugh and unleash a heart that has been lost with its essence. Be warned though, this is not for all ages, this is an adult bar. The hosts are all gays! They do nothing but spend the whole evening lashing out sexually expletive innuendos and grin (if there's more to that) jokes! Too fem and proper? Too "pikon"? We'll this is not a place for you. Go there, and give yourself a big, banging laugh!

Employee Incentive Stock Option at InfoWeapons Corp.

InfoWeapons Corp is the first and only startup company in the country to grant incentive stock option (EISO) to its employees. Modeled after Silicon Valley companies in the US, InfoWeapons Corp (IWC) banks on IESO as one of the financial motivations for employees to work harder and remain loyal to the company. This has resulted to an staggering level of confidence, loyalty and unwavering dedication of its employees. Everyone at IWC share the same vision and goal all for the success of the company. Started in 2004, IWC is experiencing a very low turnover rate and has attracted the brightest and top software engineers and IT practitioners in Cebu.

According to friends at IWC, they're very hopeful and exited on the prospects of their EISO. Its no surprise, I could only feel envy to these guys. Damn! Who could not associate what stocks did to guys who worked at Microsoft, Cisco, Yahoo, Google, AMD and so many IT companies in the US. They're all rich! These guys also enjoy the bragging rights as co-owners of the company. Really? A 21-year old junior software engineer a co-owner of the company? Wow, think about that! The financial success of the company will trickle down to every employees, at all levels. Its not just the owner that gets rich, its everyone!

It'll be on surprise when one of these days, sports cars will be lining up at the parking sides of SkyRise building and nearby parking lots. Guys, you still owe me a ride!

For software engineers who are still searching for a domicile, InfoWeapons is right there for you, open and waiting. Hurry now!

Checklist of a Most Sought Software Engineer

Getting a job offer from top software companies in Cebu City don't come easy this days. You got to have the right stuffs. The level of expectation and qualification have soared tremendously the past years. It's not as simple as getting an IT degree or a colorful resume. Companies outsmart each other to get the best software engineers who can do the job. You can't be a better software engineer. You must strive to be the best. You have to standout in all areas. So how do you get to the top of the pack?

I compiled a list of pointers that would serve as your checklist and guide. These are solicited from friends and associates who are working as software engineers, project leaders, supervisors and managers at Lexmark, NEC, NCR, Epson, Exist, Accenture and Infoweapons. Take time to assess how far or close you are. There is no room for discouragement, your mantra is to
strive to be the best.

• Expertise in C/C++. These are not old languages. These are barometers in measuring your programming skill. If you excel in these languages, chances are you would also excel in any other languages. Most programming disciplines and best practices are best demonstrated and applied by these languages. You would likely to know how a piece of a software relates to the whole computer system. The first question likely thrown at you during interview would be: What is a pointer? What is the difference between pass by value and pass by reference? What is an access violation or segmentation fault? Java, PHP, Perl, C# are good, but they only come second.


• Solid background and knowledge of the TCP/IP protocols suite. There is an old saying that Computer is a Network. Understanding of TCP/IP protocols is synonymous to understanding the world. Most likely you will be developing client-server and network-based applications. One of the keys to producing reliable, robust and high quality network applications usually depends at the level of your understanding of the TCP/IP protocols. You must distinguish connection and connection-less oriented protocols and when to use them. Client-server model. Iterative and concurrent connections. What is IPv4 and IPv6? What is an IP address and port number. Unicast, broadcast and multicast addressing. What is a protocol and how to develop one. TCP/IP and OSI layers. Internet standard documents and governing bodies. You should be at least familiar with RFCs (Request For Comments) and internet drafts. Network sockets programming will be easy no matter what programming language you use.


• Computer networking and administration. Being able to setup and configure a computer network is a big plus. Think of a basketball player who can play different positions. You will become more valuable to the company by not just being a software engineer who write code. Usually, part of your job involves setting up and maintaining network environment for your project, like setting up a network testbed, configuring webservers, shared repositories, file servers, bug tracking and project management systems. These tasks are usually handled by system and network engineers. Small to mid-size companies prefer to hire engineers who can wear different hats. Lastly, you will be the last one to remain when the company is in trouble.


• Solid understanding of computer systems. You don't just confine your skills and abilities within the domain of software development. You have to be at least familiar with the hardware side. That is where your product runs. For low level programmers who write firmware, device driver and kernel code, familiarity and detailed understanding of the hardware aspect is very critical. Swap, cache, memory, bus, I/O, DMA are some jargons you don't just have to understand but how they function and integrate into the system.


• Unix platform. Its not all Windows out there. Deeper understanding and experience in Unix systems gives you flexibility to develop programs on different environments. Large software companies usually have different teams working on specific platform such as Windows, Unix and Mac. It is at your advantage if you are not tied within one platform.


• Solid background in data structures, algorithms and IPC. List, stack, queue, tree, trie, maps, hashes, shared-memory, semaphores, mutex, pipes, etc are building blocks of a complex program. These are the core things that you have to master.


• Software development methodologies and SDLC. You don't code right away when asked. This is something left to newbies and fresh-graduates. You have to follow certain principles and processes. Familiarity of the software development life-cycle is very important. You must be familiar with different phases of SDLC such as Analysis, Design, Implementation, Testing and Maintenance and the activities within those phases. You also need to be aware of other unique methodologies such as Agile, Extreme programming, Pair Programming and others.


• Software testing and Verification. As a software engineer, you are expected to prepare and write test documents to validate requirements, design and implementation of a software program. You will have the hat of a software test engineer. There is no better tester that you the developer who knows the internals and externals of a software program.


• Software development tools. CVS, bugzilla, debugger, productivity tools, etc reflect your maturity and approach in developing serius and big software projects.


• Database integration and XML. Software engineers hate to be called database programmers. But you have to have the right skill when needed. In most cases, huge and complicated software programs or multi-tier applications require backend databases. So SQL is necessary. You should be able to integrate common databases such as Postgres, MySql, Sqlite into your program.


• Opensource software. If you don't know Linux, you live in a rock.


• Secure software programming and computer security. This would be your unfair advantage. The ability to develop and produce secure code is valuable and key to the company in producing high quality software products. You will help tremendously in preventing critical, blocker and cyclic bugs to reach end-users of your product.


• Software development processes and standards.Background on industry standard processes such as ISO, CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integrated), 5S and 6Sigma is a plus.


• Right attitude. Success of your company depends on the ability of its teams and employees to work and jell together. Think like a well oiled-machine. You are expected to work as a team.

First and only widescreen advertisement TV in Cebu City

The first thing you would notice when you reach the Fuente Osmena circle is the widescreen advertisement TV at the top of McDonalds and Orange Brutus. Running adz for 24-hours, this piece of billboard is a reflection of the place, known to many as the only place in Cebu that never sleeps.

The Cebu City government is encouraging advertisement firms to put up more widescreen TVs all over the city, specially at commercial districts like Mango Ave, GY Lahug, Capitol and Colon. In not in a distant future, we'll be seeing Cebu City like that of Tokyo and New York were widescreen TVs are not just walls and lifeless billboards, but a reflection of the whole city. Vibrant, glamorous and beautiful.

Lexmark's New IT Building in Cebu

Confidence, growth and future to Cebu's information technology. These are the messages of Lexmark RnD in Cebu when it launches the construction of its new building. Located at the back of Globe Innove in Ayala Business Park, the building will serve as an expansion to Lexmark's research and development operation in the country. Currently, Lexmark employs around 300 employees and has offices in Globe Innove and adjacent Keppel Building.

The new building which is due to open this year is expected employ an additional 100 to 150 software engineers, hardware engineers, system engineers, mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, technicians and testing engineers. This would be the biggest event to happen this year.

The local IT scene is very confident that this aggressive expansion will signal investors to come to Cebu and pave the way for other IT companies local and foreign to follow. Goodluck!

SmartBro, false as advertised

Smart's SmartBro service in Cebu really sucked! Its all false advertising. You might be tempted in subscribing to their service. Be warned! Here's what I'm getting from their lousy service:

• Intermittent internet disconnection, specially on weekends


• Very slow download and upload speed, speedtest tells download is hovering around 150kbps, upload at 100kpbs. I'm supposed to get as high as 512kbps as stated in my plan.


• As stated in their brochure, you will be getting 7 times the speed of a dial-up connection. Again, false advertisement.


• It seems SmartBro is filtering my outgoing connections, i have to refresh my browser many times to be able to connect to remote sites. In some cases, i can't browse 3 or more sites simultaneously. This is not the case during the first month I've used SmartBro. I've tried Windows and Linux, the same thing. So its not related to my PC.


• Customer service can't help either, they can't point out exactly the problem. They could only tell me their site is undergoing maintenance and system upgrade. For how long? Like 3 weeks?


• Worst, I just switched from Globe, now I have to look for another provider, or just bite my tongue and hope...

Kahayag Cafe has closed

What a sad note. I would really miss this place, specially when looking for a place to chill out with friends on weekends. Kahayag Cafe is known of its artistic ambiance, great food, cheap beer and Cebuanos ingenious creativity in music. I can always remember those days enjoying the eve with Sheila and the insects, Urbandub, Catski, Budoy and Jr Kilat, Fastpitch and the newest bisdak acts. Truly reminiscing.

According to closed source, the building which houses Kayahag Cafe (and the adjacent Handuraw Cafe) will be replaced with a new commercial building. Whatever, we hope the owner of Kahayag Cafe has found a new place to continue what has started. Kudos Kahayag Cafe, thanks for the music, thanks for the art, thanks for the experience!

Average Salary of a Software Developer in Cebu

This is a rough average basic salary of a software developer working for software companies in Cebu City Philippines. These do not include bonuses, commissions and other financial incentives.

• Entry Level: Php16,000.00


• Junior Software Developer: Php16,000.00 - Php20,000.00


• Junior Software Developer with 3 years experience: Php20,000.00 - Php28,000.00


• Senior Software Developer: Php28,000.00 - Php35,000.00


• Senior Software Developer with 6~8 years of experience: Php35,000.00 - Php50,000.00


• Software Development Supervisor: Php40,000.00 - Php48,000.00


• Project Manager: Php35,000.00 - Php45,000.00


• Managerial Positions: Php50,000.00 - Php90,000.00

Small companies with less than 20 developers usually offer bigger salaries for Junior Software Developers up to Senior Software Developers. Web developers have lesser salaries compared to system and application developers with expertise in Java, C/C++, MFC or Microsoft Visual Studio, C# and Unix scripting languages.

Sources: Lexmark, NEC Telecom Software Philippines, Epson, NCR, Exist.

Biggest Information Technology Locator in Cebu

Asiatown IT Park is the biggest Information Technology(IT) locator in Cebu to date. Located at Apas (opposite Waterfront Hotel), AsiaTown IT Park is situated right at the heart of the business district, intersecting all corners of the city. IT Park houses multinational companies engage in software development, call centers, BPO centers, outsourcing and other support services for recreation, dining and leisure. There are five major buildings in IT park. SkyRise (first figure) is an eight-story building. It houses Epson, Infoweapons, ICOMM, Qualcom, PeopleSupport and other small firms. At the ground floor, you can find restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

I-2 building (second figure), is the latest addition. It's an eleven-story building. Jollibee, Starbucks, Coffe-beans, Cagnaan bookstore, Roma Pizza and some restaurants are in the ground floor.



I-1 building (third figure). A nine-story building. Majority of companies in this building are call centers. E-telecare occupies around 60 percent of this building. Exist Software is also in this building. At the ground floor, you can find small restaurants and coffee shops like DaVinci Pizza, Chowabonga, Ila Puti, Breakfast club and Bo's coffee.

Right entrance/exit of AsiaTown IT park. The building at the back is I-2. At the opposite side is the Waterfront Hotel.

The other two single-story buildings are E-Office1 and E-Office2. E-Office1 houses NEC Telecom Software Philippines, Tsunishie and PeopleSupport. E-Office2 houses NCR and also PeopleSupport.

Cebu is not a place for arrogant Koreans

They're very noisy, arrogant and rude. They're so reckless, impolite and disrespectful. They care only about themselves. They treat ordinary Pinoys (specially janitors, salesladies, waiters, guards) as nothing next to a beggar. These group of people feel like they own Cebu. Of all the foreigners I've seen, these group of people are the worst. There are reports of Koreans not paying rents (even whores), driving drunks, abusing our women, engaging in business without permits, overstaying, and you name it. This has to be stopped! Its been a long overdue! Our government should deport these Koreans, period!

Crook CITOM personnel

The worst thing that can happen to you while driving around Cebu City is getting apprehended by CITOM personnel. These guys are supposed to implement road rules and direct traffic around every corner of the city. Unfortunately, they don't! They will never do! These guys are so wicked, lazy, cocksuckers, scumbugs you name it! They're just there, in uniform, right in the eyes of the crowd, extorting fines from every victimized or fooled motorist. Take for instance at the insection of Mango Avenue and Archbishop Reyes St. (Insular Life building), vehicles on the two of the three lanes (middle and righmost lanes) going to Pier4 Area should be allowed to go straight and cross the intersection. There is no traffic sign anywhere near the vicinity that says only vehicles on the rightmost lane are allowed to cross. The middle and rightmost lanes on the opposite of the intersection are along the lines and you woudn't guess that when the green light is ON, vehicles on these two lanes should be able to cross the intersection. For whatever reason, CITOM only allows vehicles on the rightmost lane to cross the intersection and vehicles on the leftmost and middle must turn left. How could you understand that? To make it worse, at the opposite of the intersection are two CITOM personnel waiting for vehicles from the middle lane that would dare cross. Its pity to see drivers getting a TOP (temporary operating permit) or worst, confiscation of their drivers license. These CITOM guys are not educating motorist. Why can't they put a sign instead? Warn drivers in the middle lane from crossing?

With very little parking lots within the city, you have to be extra careful where and when you park. You'll just be shocked when you find your car clamped with an immovable boot (don't move your car with the boot on else damaging your tire) or worst, getting towed. CITOM guys won't apprehend or stop you when they see you park or even about to park! They make it like they never see the whole thing. When you leave you car, thats when they move in. It doesn't matter if there are signs or no signs of wheel clamping/towing area. Most of these signs are broken, destroyed and aren't replaced. So you be careful, particularly the streets sorrounding Cebu Doctors Hospital, Chung Hua Hospital and along Ramos St.

When CITOM guys apprehend you for traffic violation, they don't give you citation tickets right away. Instead, they'll make offers, ask or even plead you to make a bargain. They'll extort you money in exchange for a clean pass. For a P150 fine, their tag price is from P200 to P500. Sounds very familiar hah?

Reputable IT Schools in Cebu

IT schools are all over Cebu city, but there are only a few recognized by the IT industry to produce quality graduates who are ready to face the real world. If you are a high school graduate who dream of a career in IT or who just wanted to have a better chance when looking for an IT job, getting an IT degree from a reputable school would be the golden ticket. I surveyed NEC, Lexmark, Epson and NCR recently. Close to 80 percent of the engineers employed in these companies came from UP Cebu, University of San Carlos, University of Cebu, Cebu Institute of Technology and University of San Jose Recoletos. So there you go, get the most out of your time and money, get your IT degree from any of these schools.

Most recognized Software Development Company

NEC Telecom Software Philippines (NSP) is arguably the most recognized software development company in Cebu. Operating for over a decade, the company is best known as a bed rock of top-notched and highly-skilled software engineers. Its major contribution to the region is not just in providing work but a place for individuals to polish raw skills, discover potentials and master the art and disciplines of what is required to be a software engineer. IT fresh graduates try their luck and beat butts every semester to join NSP. The process is competitive but rigorous. One has to pass the qualifying written exam then the dreadful workshop or practical exam. After the two exams are series of interviews, which include technical and non-technical questions.

NSP is truly different from other software companies in terms of culture, matured-processes and technologies. The company recognizes outstanding engineers and provides them opportunities to lead projects and become leaders or managers in a very short time. You can lead a team of 10 or 20 in just two years if you're really that good! If you choose to be a techy guy or follow the technical career path, NSP has a lot of technologies that you cannot get anywhere.

Here is a list of cools stuffs in store:

• Programming languages: C/C++, JAVA, Windows MFC, Scripting languages


• Unix, Windows, Embedded Systems environments


• Networking protocols and technologies


• Web technologies


• Management Systems, System Applications, Networking Application development


• IPv6


• Telecommunication Technologies


• Project Management and SDLC


• Software QA


• Training and Japanese Proficiency Certifications


• Overseas Business Trip

Software Development Companies in Cebu, Philippines

Cebu is a home of the finest IT companies engaged in Software Development in the country. It even topped the capital city "Manila" in terms of the talent pool and the varieties of software products produced for local and foreign markets. Most of the companies are engage into outsourcing, on-shore development for foreign clients, RnD office of multi-national companies and some producing products of their own. Over a decade, software companies in Cebu have grown and expanded to accommodate and serve different areas in IT, locally and globally. A big number of these companies are located in AsiaTown IT Park in Apas, Lahug, opposite the Waterfront hotel. To date, these are the common areas software companies have strived with so much success:

• Telecommunications


• Security


• Embedded Systems


• Network devices and appliances


• Consumer electronics


• Banking and Finance


• Web Services and Web Hosting


• Advertisement


• Education and Learning


• Multimedia


• Gaming


• Electronic Gambling

Here is a list of big and known companies in Cebu:

• NEC Telecom Software Philippines (subsdiary of NEC Corp; engage in network management, network equipments and telecomnication)


• Lexmark Research and Development (RnD house of Lexmark of USA; engage in printer software development)


• InfoWeapons Inc (local company engage in development of secure networking appliances)


• Epson Software Engineering (Phils) (subsidiary of Epson of Japan; engage in printer and consumer electronics development)


• NCR Cebu Development Center (support office of NCR Atlanta-US; engage in POS development)


• Timex Philippines (affiliate of TMX Ltd N.V.; engage in software development for watches)


• Lear Philippines (engage in automotive electronic control systems)


• Exist (engage in web and Java based software development and opensource)


• ICOMM International (web and internet software development)


• Phil-Am Outsourcing (engage in outsourcing services)

In addition, Accenture will be putting up a software development office in Cebu this year.