Building Bitcoin Communities in the Philippines – Bitcoin Magazine
This is an opinion editorial by Dustin Watchman, founder of the bitcoin community education group Cloud 21 Siargo.
What if we could recreate the elements of a big city that we all love, but on a much smaller scale? What would these elements be that we would attempt to recreate? For large parts of history, cities have been places that provide opportunities, hope and connection to others. Cities hoped to gather the best and the brightest to work hard and build things the world needs. Then came El Zonte, better known as Bitcoin Beach. A massive paradigm shift occurred, asking the question: “What if we could provide opportunity, hope and connection to others by building education and knowledge around bitcoin in smaller communities?” And just like that, the idea has spread across the globe.
El Zonte was not only the community that inspired President Nayib Bukele to envision the first bitcoin legal tender country, but they have inspired many smaller communities by their vision and success in execution. We can now see bitcoin-inspired communities being built from the ground up with Bitcoin Ekasi in South Africa, BTC Beach Camp in Thailand, Bitcoin Lisbon in Portugal, Harlem Bitcoin in New York and many more! The common denominator in all these communities are the bitcoin educators who are willing to tirelessly dedicate their time to educating their surrounding communities. Due to shutdowns and COVID-19 restrictions in recent years, people have been searching for a purpose, and for many, that purpose was found by building bitcoin communities in their own backyards. The hope for a better future derived from bitcoin has led many to make positive changes in their own lifestyles and to contribute more in giving back through initiatives for the growth of society.
One such project is known as Cloud 21 Siargao on a small island on the southeastern side of the Philippines. It is a beautiful and up-and-coming island that for several years secretly held a hidden gem of a surf spot called Cloud 9, hence the nod to this epic surf spot named Cloud 21 Siargao. In December 2021, the island was ravaged by the massively destructive super typhoon Odette. In the first months after the destruction, reconstruction was slow. Supplies were hard to come by and debris was everywhere. In short, opportunities and hopes were near all-time lows, and this is where bitcoin usually succeeds. Fast forward to about nine months after the storm and the communities are buzzing with energy as businesses have reopened and tourism has quickly flowed back to the island. With this onslaught of growth and tourism, knowledge of bitcoin quickly began to grow along with it. Cloud 21 Siargao set out to help local small businesses learn how to accept bitcoin as payments to drive further growth in tourism, similar to what El Zonte has done in recent years.
Through Twitter Spaces hosted by Paxful and Global Bitcoin Fest, we were able to collaborate on common issues regarding bitcoin adoption in Southeast Asia with bitcoiners in those regions. Through these conversations, I shaped my approach to continuing education about bitcoin to overcome some of these common obstacles. The biggest obstacle is probably the gambling mentality that many people have in these regions. It’s kind of an all-or-nothing mentality that they just go all in instead of taking a more moderate approach to slowly incorporating bitcoin into their lives for long-term wealth building strategies. Additional obstacles to bitcoin adoption here are proper education about what separates bitcoin from the other 20,000 plus altcoins, and also just general brand recognition of bitcoin as a whole. These are the main points Cloud 21 Siargao has set out to work on.
For people who don’t often maintain much savings, going all-in could potentially set them straight, pushing them to never take full advantage of bitcoin. The biggest need for small businesses here is that they still need pesos for day-to-day expenses, but are open to the added benefits of converting just a small amount to satoshis. Slowly dipping their toes into the bitcoin waters is more likely to make them see the potential as we slowly shift from the bear market of 2022 to a bull market. Locally in the Philippines they have a digital cash app called G-cash that they are familiar with and the Pouch app (a Lightning app) has similar features but gives them the added benefit of converting some of their pesos to satoshis. Leveraging their previous knowledge of digital money apps, locals can now confidently begin furthering their bitcoin education by actually holding some.
To tackle these issues of brand recognition, proper education about bitcoin’s unique qualities and how to properly use and secure bitcoin, Cloud 21 Siargao has launched a multi-prong campaign. Through social media, I reach out to all the local small businesses to let them know that they can use Cloud 21 Siargao as their go-to for any bitcoin related education. Many business owners have asked good questions and are actively looking to accept it soon. I’ve also embarked on community art projects that involve beautifying various concrete walls around town with Bitcoin-themed murals. In any small community, reputation is also quite important, so talking to many of the owners and patrons in person often produces the biggest discussions and potential adoptions. There are currently a handful of bitcoiners living in Siargao and they have also provided good feedback on the localized issues with bitcoin adoption. Volunteering with local NGOs has also yielded fruitful results in helping fundraising organizations understand how bitcoin can help them in their efforts. Finally, talking to local government officials and open discussions about how their social programs that often provide a small income for local people in need of financial assistance can also benefit from bitcoin payments.
Building a small bitcoin community from the ground up will only continue to grow if the right resources are provided for further education. As Siargao continues its path towards becoming the next Bali and a digital nomad hub, locals and expats will continue to come and go. The key to maintaining sustainable development while building a bitcoin community is for the resources to remain on the island for everyone to access and use as needed well into the future. It is necessary to pass the torch of knowledge to local people so that they themselves can stand up and be community leaders and continue to teach their neighbors and friends about bitcoin is what will eventually push the bitcoin community beyond locals and expats who come and go as seasonal . tide.
In response to this need, I have written several books that discuss how to use bitcoin within your family unit, at the community level, and why small businesses should start offering bitcoin payments sooner rather than later. The latest book to be published is a guidebook for community leaders that new bitcoin educators can use as a resource for educating others well into the future. These books can be found on the Cloud21Siargao.com website.
Siargao has so much potential to be the perfect blend of Bali and El Zonte and I personally look forward to welcoming much more bitcoin tourism here as bitcoin adoption grows! If you’re a bitcoin tourist, put Siargao, Philippines on your list of must-see destinations. You will not be disappointed!
This is a guest post by Dustin Watchman. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
