Y es, you’ve read it right. There are two linux distributions that are developed and maintained by Filipinos. These are Bayanihan Linux and Lorma Linux. Bayanihan Linux was initiated by the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) in October 2001. ASTI is based in the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines.

You can dowload Bayanihan Linux for free or you can buy the CD with box for 200 pesos (or 100 pesos if you don’t need the box). It’s cheaper if you go to the ASTI headquarters because they will burn the CD for you for 70 pesos. Bayanihan Linux developers promise that their distro has high-level security and that it has seamless network interoperability with Windows.

Lorma Linux is the distro developed by Lorma College. The great thing about this distribution is that it “has been optimized and customized to meet the needs of educational institutions and its students.” You can download for free the workstation or server editions.