CALAMBA CITY, Laguna (PIA) — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in Calabarzon has opened the registration for the 2025 HackForGov Regional Qualifying Round, an annual cybersecurity competition aimed at honing the digital defense skills of Filipino college students.
HackForGov, short for “Hacking for the Government,” is a nationwide Capture the Flag (CTF) competition where students from different regions demonstrate their handkills in areas such as network security, web security, cryptography, and incident response. The program supports the government’s push for a safer, more digitally-secured Philippines, in line with the goals of the National Cybersecurity Plan.
DICT believes that this project will help in encouraging the youth to explore careers in cybersecurity and alleviate the growing threats in cyberspace by strengthening the youth’s cybersecurity awareness and capacity to combat cyber threats such as phishing, identity theft, and data breaches.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to enhance their knowledge at a young age and become part of building a safer cyberspace for Filipinos,” said engineer Raiza Joyce Mendoza, Lead Information Officer of DICT Region 4A and Project Focal for Cybersecurity and PNPKI.
Unlike in previous years, this year’s HackForGov is slated to be even bigger as the DICT increased its target to 20 competing teams, up from 12 entries received in 2023 and 2024.
“We are not only giving opportunities to professionals or government personnel, but HackForGov is also our way of expanding awareness of cybersecurity among the youth,” Mendoza added.
Past winners of the regional rounds have gone on to represent Calabarzon in the HackForGov Nationals and even in international competitions such as the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Center in Thailand and the ASEAN Cyber Shield Hacking Contest in Indonesia.
Mendoza then reminded the public to remain vigilant in their digital activities, be cyber advocates, and to work together to promote a trusted, secure, and reliable cyberspace for every Filipino.
“We continuously remind everyone to be vigilant when sharing personal information online and to always verify the credibility of information they encounter,” Mendoza emphasized.
Registration for the 2025 regional round began on April 2 and will run until April 25. Each participating team must be composed of four members, all of whom must be college students aged 29 years old or below. Interested schools and students region-wide can submit their letter of intent and curriculum vitae via the DICT Region 4A Facebook page. (KG, CH/PIA-4A)
