BATANGAS CITY (PIA) – As the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) celebrates National Information and Communications Technology Month, its Calabarzon office together with the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Philippines invites college students inclined in ICT for a skills and critical thinking competition.
The HackforGov regional competition held at Lima Park Hotel, Lipa-Malvar, Batangas, held with the theme “Today’s Generation; Tomorrow’s Champion: Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity through Shared Responsibility”, participants from different educational institutions in the region demonstrated creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills through the means of digital challenges.
DICT CALABARZON Regional Director Felix Tabanao Jr. highlighted that HackforGov is a key component of the month-long celebration of Cybersecurity Month and is designed to harness and nurture local talent in cybersecurity and ICT innovation.
“Through this, students will be more aware of cyber-attacks and hacking that are currently happening, emphasizing the ethical hacking that is being practiced. One thing that attracts the young people who participate in this is having the opportunity to go to other countries to compete in the international competition, in case they are the winner at the national level,” Tabanao said.
The competition has brought together 12 participants from different schools across the CALABARZON region who are passionate about cybersecurity and ICT innovation. By involving various academic institutions, HackforGov fosters a collaborative environment where young minds can develop innovative solutions to pressing cybersecurity challenges.
The competition features a series of challenges or scenarios about cyber threats including various categories such as network security, web security, cryptography, and incident response.
Participants from the National University (NU) Laguna ‘200 Ok’ team were hailed as champions for this year’s competition and will represent Calabarzon at the national level, where they will compete with top teams from other regions scheduled in October.
Meanwhile, Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) Siniloan Campus Fiery Fox earned second place and AMAER Team from AMA Computer College East Rizal bagged third place.
As the winners prepare for the national competition, they carry the hopes and support of the CALABARZON community, aiming to showcase their expertise, hone their digital skills, and contribute to the broader goals of national cybersecurity transformation. (MPDC/PIA-Batangas; AM/PIA-4A)
