By Mc Allen Reonel Sebastian Cacacho
The North has not faltered, all thanks to its community. True to its mantra, genuine education takes an entire village to build, and nothing can stop anything created out of passion and purpose.
During the past few weeks, enthusiasts have witnessed several tech movements in the Valley, which are pivotal towards future-proofing. These activities will galvanize current local government tech roadmaps and affirm to the general public that there is indeed a solid north – when it comes to supporting a common goal of continual progress in ICT education.
UK-based Cyber Security Firm Launches Cyber Academy, Forges Partnership with St. Paul University Philippines as Pilot Cohort for Cadet Engineer Program
Tuguegarao City: Secon Cyber Security Limited and St. Paul University Philippines (SPUP) formalized their partnership through a virtual ceremony on December 08, 2021. Secon chose the mother university of the Philippines' St. Paul Universities System, as its partner university for its internship program for Information Technology students through its Cyber Academy Program.
Robert Gupta (Chief Executive Officer, Secon) and Sister Merceditas Ang, SPC (University President, SPUP) led the virtual signing of the partnership agreement between the two institutions.
Also present in the virtual convergence were: Janakan Nadarajah (Chief Operating Officer, Secon), Andrew Gogarty (Chief Security Evangelist, Secon), Dr. Agripina Maribbay (Vice President for Academics, SPUP), Dr. Jeremy Godofredo Morales (Director for International Relations, SPUP), Dr. Allan Peejay Lappay (Director for External Relations and Advocacies, SPUP), Dr. Marifel Grace Kummer (Dean of School of Information Technology and Engineering, SPUP), Dr. Ma. Visitacion Gumabay (Program Coordinator of IT, SPUP), Realyn Vasquez (Security Operations Team Leader, Secon), Ernesto Lampa (Security Operations Team Leader, Secon), April Agapor (Learning and Development Lead, Secon), and Mars Cacacho (Senior Security Engineer, Secon).
Founded in 1999, Secon is a leading cyber security company that provides a wide range of cyber security services and technologies to a substantial and diversified client base, including corporations, financial institutions, and governments.
The Internship Program aims to provide students with promising potentials and mentor them with the necessary processes, skills, and techniques to be industry-ready tech professionals. SPUP students will engage in a six-month Cadet Engineering Program as part of the Cohort. During completion, an outstanding cadet will earn a job offer from Secon.
7 Cagayan State University Campuses Offering IT Courses Converge for Curriculum Review
Cagayan – seven of Cagayan State University's eight campuses accepting enrollments for IT-related courses invited Alumni, stakeholders, and industry consultants to critic the contents of its courses on December 4, 2021.
Spearheaded by Craig Campus College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS), Dr. Generino Siddayao organized the activity to streamline the Bachelors' Degree Courses on Information Technology, Information Systems, Library and Information Science, Multimedia Design, and Computer Science.
Curriculum Review should be regularly held to update curricular offerings synchronized with the content endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Herein, subjects such as Python Programming, Cyber Security, Big Data, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence are recommended to keep pace with the changing times.
During the review, CSU Alumni across campuses shared their journey after graduation and pointed out which technologies matter in their respective ICT-related roles.
Meanwhile, invited IT consultants confirmed the industry needs and mentioned the gaps that can be addressed with many curriculum changes.
Peer lectures also came up as a solution. With this, lessons on actual industry needs are injected, and industry professionals would be invited to lecture side by side with resident professors. This way, theories would be integrated with use cases, and applications would be on point.
Finally, the stakeholders and the State University faculty and management provided their unwavering commitment to offer the recommended changed curriculum with experienced or at least well-trained faculty line and find opportunities and partnerships for innovative learnings.
Cagayan Valley's GAIL Organize Hackathons and Pitching Competitions
DTI Hackathon (October)
The Department of Trade and Industry has initiated the first government agency-led inter-university Hackathon in the province, which saw potential projects for the Valley's bid as a mainstay in the smarter cities belt.
Among the notable projects presented was a Windows-based Information Management System with Project Monitoring for Barangays, which has later won Best Presenter, Best Research Paper, and Champion in the International Conference on Information Technology Education (ICITE) Competition in Malaysia.
The University of St. Louis (USL) coded system was designed to track and trace barangay records offline. Coached by Ms. Lily Ann de la Cruz and Ms. Diane Jenalyn Datul, the proponents and developers were BSIT students Ms. Cyrill Joy Balilia, Ms. Lyanna Pagulayan, Mr. Jay Alheizen Acoba, and Mr. Jaye-em Mebana.
For Digital Governance, it was recommended to be presented to the Government-Academe-Industry-Linked (GAIL) Tuguegarao City ICT Council, endorsed by the Eight City Council, and implemented by all barangays in the nationally identified Digital City.
Pitch Please 3 (November)
The 3rd iteration of Hackthenorth.ph's Pitch Please was powered by QBO Innovation Hub and IdeaSpace Foundation, in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (Luzon Cluster1), Department of Trade and Industry (Region 02), and the Department of Science and Technology (Region 02).
After a week of mentoring, Semifinals, and the Final Pitching, Nueva Vizcaya's AIRIN emerged as the Champion walking home with P30,000 Cash and the championship plaque. Tuguegarao City's Overwash and Isabela's OmniChat won P15,000 and P5,000, respectively, plus plaques.
The final pitching event was opened by DICT Luzon Cluster 1’s Regional Director Nestor Bonggato. The different partner agencies screened the semi-finalists, Media Concepts Singapore CXO Anthony Balao judged the finalists, QBO Startup Community Program Lead Kara Legaspi, Timpuyog Innovation Lab Co-Founder Apriliza Sagadraca-Roa, DragonScale CEO and IT Masters Guild Founder John Tugade, and Unleash Innovation Lab Global Ambassador Abad Enriquez.
The Winners were the Region's representatives in the recently concluded Philippine Startup Challenge, where AIRIN garnered 2nd Place in the Nationals.
Jumpstart (December)
Cagayan State University's DOST funded Technology Business Incubator (TBI) Business Incubation Zone for Novel and Sustainable Technology Enterprises (BIZNESS) has announced the Top 20 teams for its upcoming Jumpstart Pitching Competition on December 13.
Each of the finalists has already won P5,000 and gets to Pitch in the next stage for the chance to get to the Top 10 and P30,000 cash. After which, the 4 Grand Winners will emerge during the Final Pitching with P65,000 grant each.
Nueva Vizcaya's Wonder Automated Farming Instrument AIRIN's Winning Streak is On!
Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya: A group of Nueva Vizcaya State University students has developed an Automated Irrigation and Nutrient Management System (AIRIN) intending to reinvent irrigation and crop nutrient management.
Led by Ms. Myka Fragata, the group composed of sons and daughters of farmers has taken AgriTech by storm. Over the past few months, they have been acing different pitching and grant competitions with their innovative farming hardware.
They were Grand Champion in the Innovation Olympics 2.0 organized by East-West Seed, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Sensient Colors LLC, University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), UPLB Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (UPLB TTBDO), UPLB Startup Innovation and Business Opportunities Linkaging Labs (Sibol Labs), and APEX: The UPLDB Business Network; where they were awarded P125,000 cash prize.
AIRIN was also Grand Winner in the Innovation Challenge Competition by USAID, Batangas State University, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), DTI, and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
Adding to its accolades are National Runner Ups for the Philippine Startup Challenge (Professionals Category), with a grant from DICT and the Institute of Computer Engineers of the Philippines Competition.
It's not yet the end for AIRIN in chasing investors, grants, and seed money opportunities, as results for other competitions they are part of are still underway.
OMNI: Developing Ideas Into Technical Assets
Alicia, Isabela – Omnitech has laid a foundation as the first food delivery application developer in Cagayan Valley.
Managed by its CEO Mr. Edmar de Luna, its flagship app DeliveryBoyPh was among the 23 startups selected nationwide by DTI's training arm, the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), as the lone startup from the Region to be part of the Push Start Business Incubation Program.
It has further dominated the local tech development industry as the creator of the first ride-hailing application in the Region via DeliveryBoyPh Transport Services.
A runner-up in Hackthenorth. Ph's Pitch Please 3 and one of the 25 national finalists for the recently held Philippine Startup Challenge, its spinoff OmniChat Messenger-based platform for submitting government requirements and documents even without an internet data subscription.
One of its most extensive government client bases is the Philippine National Police with e-VISA. This management platform assists in security measures to mitigate and eradicate criminal activities using motorcycles.
With the assistance of its team, Omnitech continuously vies for venture capitalists and angel investors to broaden their line of business.
Gadget Mo, Sagot Ko!
Tuguegarao City: One of the biennium goals of Zonta International is providing access to education. This disposition bastioned the Zonta Club of Central Tuguegarao's (ZCCT) Gadget Mo Sagot Ko (GMSK) project, which aimed to help disadvantaged girls and boys in their online schooling.
What started as a weekend project has now reached its 2nd year and has evolved as one of the Club's flagship activities under the leadership of Club President Judge Racquel Reyes-Aglaia.
Initially planned to aid those with no means during the academic transition to online schooling, GMSK has also reached flooded victims of the dreadful 2020 typhoon onslaught.
The Zontians worked hard to convey the help needed through different channels and platforms. Surprisingly, the call for support was heeded by individuals and organizations from all sectors, who responded in cash or in-kind - gadgets new and pre-loved (cellphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops). On the other hand, community partners extended their support by identifying the most deserving recipients and ensuring that the devices were reset to factory settings and that there were no data left behind.
As a culmination activity for 2020, scores of desktops and laptops were entrusted to needy students. Laptops were also provided to the City's SK Federation for their local governance digital transformation and to replenish those submerged from the recent floods.
During quarantine, the program has supplemented the gadget needs of hundreds of students from elementary to college across the city's 49 barangays.
The Club extends its gratitude to its active partners who brought traction to the impactful project: The City Government of Tuguegarao, Yokohama Center, Hackthenorth.ph, the Tuguegarao City - Cagayan Dental Chapter (TCDC), the Zonta Club of Makati Paseo de Roxas, Robinsons Bank, and the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas – who donated a considerable bulk of the personal computers.
With the influx of generous sponsors, the GMSK program has been extended throughout the pandemic season and is still in progress.
Cagayan Public Schools Use Podcast for Distance Learning
It pays to know the craft for you to see through the plan and its perfect execution. Before becoming the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent (ASDS) for the Schools Division Office (SDO) of Cagayan, techie Dr. Chelo Tangan already knows how to tinker with operating systems other than Windows.
As a former School Head and Supervisor, she did her presentations, be it decks or videos. For inspirational talks, she turns to podcasts. Seldom would you see her asking about configurations, and it's the other way around because she's usually the one guiding colleagues, even her subordinates.
So, when pandemic came and innovations were introduced in various forms to deliver lessons to the DepEd's learners, Dr. Tangan proposed the Podcast modality to the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Dr. Orlando Manuel, who then approved it outright.
She then gathered a team with the same vision and named the technical working group Project Podcast Alternative Learning Modality (Project PALM) to assist her with the training and roll-out.
Teachers would then download an open-source app for producing their podcasts and share via different streaming services or via Bluetooth to students who do not have internet access.
To date, almost all of the public schools in the province are already using podcasts, all thanks to Dr. Chelo's out-of-the-box thinking.
The North Remembers
"We've got to move beyond the idea that the public and private sectors are at odds. Government has to lay the groundwork for private equity to invest in education productively. It's a partnership, not a battle". -Sebastian Pinera
With this thrust, converging efforts to sustain innovative learning, and produce fit professionals for the workforce, should be one of our prime objectives.
Geolocation has always been pointed out as a challenge for opportunities in the countrysides. However, the recent viral global outbreak has magnified that innovation has nothing to do with how rural a place is. It just needs the basics of technology to move forward – communications. We witness how borderless and remote work has contributed to corporate operations to turn economic wheels.
Perhaps, automation and digitalization are the impetus to solving issues and problems, from comms to data mining and impromptu reports, curbing corruption. But we also do not need the most expensive and cutting edge technologies, indispensable though they are. The operative words here are manpower, resourcefulness, upskilling, and support from all sectors.
Also, do we need to look elsewhere to find the human resource to provide us with the necessary solutions? Let's maximize the use of our people, rather than seeing them flee to greener pastures; why not create opportunities and jobs to keep them – this is how we can help everyone get up during the pandemic, Localization.
We are greatly indebted to you and to everyone who has provided all kinds of assistance to Northern Luzon and the Valley for our educational technologies to nourish.