The Philippines is on track to create eight million digital jobs by 2028, a vision that took a step toward reality Sunday as more than 1,500 Filipino freelancers and tech professionals connected with international employers at the HL Accelerator summit.

The event, held at the Quezon City MICE Center, was the first time HighLevel, an international CRM automation and sales platform, fully sponsored a community-led event in Asia. The summit was organized by HL Accelerator, a Filipino-led company.

Jaycee "Cece" Tan, co-founder of HL Accelerator, said the event was "more job fair than conference." Live hiring sessions were held where Australian, American and British agencies interviewed candidates for virtual assistant and CRM specialist roles with salaries above local wage standards.

“We're not just training people for jobs that might exist someday,” Tan said. “We're connecting them with employers who are hiring right now, today.”

The event, which celebrated the first anniversary of the Filipino-led HighLevel community HL Pilipinas, drew attendees from more than 10 Southeast Asian countries. It also attracted government officials and members of the media.

Alicia Pagano, a representative from HighLevel, said the company was impressed with the organizers' determination.

"Cece and [co-founder] Dea approached us several times with what they were doing, and they were persistent," Pagano said. "We kept giving them milestones to meet, saying, 'Come to us when you hit this, and we'll see what we can do,' and they did that. This whole event is a testament to their determination."

The Department of Information and Communications Technology's ICT Industry Development Bureau (DICT-IIDB) co-organized the event. Attorney Leandro Angelo "Dino" Aguirre of DICT said the summit supports the government’s EDGE PH program, which aims to empower digital workers.

"This furthers our roadmap for eight million digital jobs by 2028," Aguirre said.

Quezon City Administrator Michael Victor Alimurung acknowledged the significance of international stakeholders investing in local freelancer empowerment.

During the summit, HL Accelerator recognized its first group of certified HighLevel Admins who completed training in CRM automation, SaaS operations and remote agency management. This certification opens doors to higher-paying positions and entrepreneurship.

Financial literacy speaker Chinkee Tan addressed the psychological barriers many Filipinos face when transitioning to digital work.

"Did you know that you are just one idea away from doubling your income?" he said. "Skills pay the bills, knowledge increases your value, and mindset builds the future."