Davao City, known for its vibrant tech scene, has become a burgeoning hub for blockchain and DeFi enthusiasts, partly thanks to the Davao DeFi Community’s (DDC) efforts. Established as a beacon for education in DeFi, blockchain, and NFTs, DDC has been instrumental in bridging the gap between technology and the local community. Their mission is to democratize financial knowledge and foster innovation, organizing numerous educational events, workshops, and networking sessions to strengthen individuals with the knowledge to participate in the new digital economy.
That said, we had the unique opportunity to interview Ruben Lacumba Jr. (or “Rubz”), the Founder of Davao DeFi Community (DDC), during the recent Cebu Blockchain Conference 2025 in Cebu City, Philippines. This groundbreaking event is Cebu City’s first-ever crypto and blockchain conference in partnership with Web3 Cebu and WAV3.
What Is Davao DeFi Community?
Davao DeFi Community (DDC) is a non-profit organization based in Davao City, Philippines, dedicated to fostering education and collaboration within the realms of blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
“DeFi Davao Community is a community in Davao, Philippines that provides education, basically about blockchain in general,” Ruben Lacumba Jr. or “Rubz,” Founder of Davao DeFi Community, told UseTheBitcoin during the Cebu Blockchain Conference 2025.
The community aims to empower local individuals by providing them with resources, hosting events, and creating an inclusive environment for learning about these technologies.
“We run it in a sense because we are locals in Davao, but of course, it doesn’t stop there; we aim to expand our educational efforts as much as possible across the entire Mindanao region,” Rubz added.
How Does The Davao DeFi Community Contribute To The Broader Blockchain Ecosystem In The Philippines?
Rubz: Our main contribution is basically about educating individuals, and one of those is that we are really a pro-believer in a regional approach. So, Mindanao, Davao, as not an adjacent city from the capital of Manila, we try to empower also the locals there—maybe professionals, students, and even partnerships with local government units—to really give due diligence with regards to learning the facts about blockchain.
What Do You See As The Next Big Trend In DeFi, And How Is Your Community Preparing For It?
Rubz: I think DeFi, in general, has already been running, but it is not the final form product yet. Infrastructures are still being built and optimized, and one of the key factors there is, of course, the adoption.
So, how do you achieve adoption? You achieve it by sharing knowledge about DeFi. What are some of the great use cases that an individual person could contribute to and apply to themselves when it comes to finance, in the sense? So, I think DeFi has a lot of potential, and a fraction will be coming this year. New innovative products will be developed to cater to the needs of most traditional users.
How Do You Plan To Continue Growing The Community’s Influence And Participation In Both Local And International Blockchain Ecosystems?
Rubz: The main role of Davao DeFi Community is we are like the connector. The community stands as a connector between the local participants, encompassing the regional and, at the same time, finding partners globally that we would be able to support the education endeavor and be able to cover it as much as possible.
For example, Mindanao has 28 provinces and 33 cities. So, if we could probably cover that, that is already a huge opportunity for like even a percentage of mass adoption in that sense.
Where Do You See The Davao DeFi Community In The Next Five Years? What Are Your Long-Term Goals?
Rubz: The main long-term goal for Davao DeFi Community is to become a formidable education platform at the same time, a community for everyone to get onboarded, especially the newbies.
So, we are aligning the sectors now. The first one is we have been doing education for users and the second one is community builders. So, there is a high demand for developers, project founders, and, of course, the alignment of creating startups for Web3. So, at least teams and innovators will be able to develop projects with much support from the industry. That is what we are focusing on, and hopefully, we can achieve it in a short period of time.
Official Social Media Channels
Davao DeFi Community invites you to get involved and they are excited to assist you on your journey. They will address educational needs and highlight the proper steps to onboard new participants. Additionally, they will be accelerating in-person events over the coming months for 2025!
For further information on Davao DeFi Community and to stay updated on their announcements, please visit their website and follow their official social media channels provided below:
👉 Website: https://davaodefi.org/
👉 Twitter/X: https://x.com/DavaoDefi
👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davaodeficommunity
👉 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/gNJBRwh2c3
👉 Telegram: https://t.me/+Nmu4LvO_0nRhNzBl
👉 Ruben Lacumba Jr.’s Twitter/X: https://x.com/rlacumba
👉 Ruben Lacumba Jr.’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruben.lacumba
