Tech giant Google, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur and the Department of Education, officially launched Project SINAG on October 24–25, 2025, at the Fuerte CamSur Sports Complex, Cadlan, Pili, ushering in a new era of digital learning and teaching in public schools.
Leading the launch were DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, Undersecretary Peter Irving Corvera, Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar, Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymund “Lray” Villafuerte, Jr., and representatives from Google, including Google for Education Asia Pacific Lead Scott Wong, Channel Manager for Southeast Asia Rahmadi Renyut, Google for Education Philippines Lead Mary Ann Manzano, Digital Transformation Manager Adrian Cruz, and Google Cloud Philippines Country Manager Jennifer Ligones.
Project SINAG—short for Supercharging Instruction for National Advancement with Google—is a pioneering initiative designed to make Camarines Sur both AI-ready and future-ready. It addresses the rapid pace of technological transformation in education by equipping teachers and students with essential artificial intelligence and digital skills to help them thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world.
“When we first envisioned this project, our purpose was clear: to equip our teachers, our students, and our people with AI and digital skills that will empower them to thrive in the fast-changing world. Because I have always believed that the best investment a government can make is in the knowledge, creativity, and capability of its people,” Governor Lray Villafuerte said in his welcome remarks.
The two-day event gathered school heads and teachers from the DepEd Divisions of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Albay, Masbate, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Naga City, Tabaco City, Ligao City, Legazpi City, Masbate City, and Sorsogon City, along with instructors from the Governor Mariano Villafuerte Community Colleges (GMVCC) and employees of the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur.
“Project SINAG is really helpful and essential nowadays in the teaching-learning process, especially for us college instructors who are swamped with responsibilities. It’s really helpful talaga in the preparation of daily lesson plans, presentations, and other papers because it’s so easy with just one click lang,” shared Rei Pimentel, college instructor at GMVCC Libmanan.
To amplify teaching by maximizing the use of AI, participants were introduced to various tools within Google Classroom and Google Workspace for Education. These included Gemini in Classroom, which enables teachers to generate daily lesson logs, quizzes, class activities, and reading-level-adjusted materials; NotebookLM, which helps educators organize large volumes of research materials for deeper study; and Gemini Canvas, which allows teachers to code and create teaching resources such as websites, storybooks, and audiovisual presentations.
When he first encountered AI and chatbots, David Sarmiento, School Head of Hawan National High School in the province of Catanduanes, admitted feeling both intrigued and concerned about how these tools might affect human creativity.
“The first time I heard about chatbots, it’s very intriguing kasi medyo nawawala yung dominance ng tao in terms of doing manually how we write, how we do this and that. But eventually, since ‘yong 21st century naman requires everybody na makipagsabayan, we have to dive into this and such training is a major leap na helpful to us teachers,” he said, explaining that he no longer has reservations about AI, seeing its value in creating instructional materials and meeting deadlines efficiently.
As a school administrator, Sarmiento emphasized the significance of Google’s AI-integrated tools, noting that when used responsibly and conscientiously, artificial intelligence can serve as a valuable assistant to help educators improve their craft.
Governor Villafuerte first formalized the partnership between the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur and Google Philippines on September 29, 2025, through the establishment of the Gemini Academy—the first of its kind in the Bicol Region. With the launch of Project SINAG, Camarines Sur takes another step toward leading Bicolandia into a future of digital advancement and inclusive development, with education at its core.
“I reaffirm the commitment of the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur to work hand-in-hand with Google and DepEd in making our province a model for AI education, creative innovation, and public-private partnership in the Philippines and in Asia,” the governor reiterates.
