SU team tops reg’l AI hackathon in Cebu

A team from Silliman University emerged as the champion of “Can You HackIT: The IBPAP Challenge,” a regional hackathon organized by the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), held on July 15-16, 2025, at the Cebu Institute of Technology University (CIT-U) Gym.

The Silliman team, Merge Conflict, bested 27 other teams from 13 academic institutions in Region 7 with their AI-powered solution designed to address pressing social challenges. Composed of senior Computer Science and Information Technology students John Stanley T. Altonaga, Karl Joseph M. Gaitera, Jon Patric A. Garganian, Gianne Guenter S. Gaudan, and Jhana P. Trinidad, the team also took home the Best Use of AI Award.

The team was mentored by Ms. Fatima S. Tanjay, a Senior Test Development Engineer at Lexmark Research and Development Corporation, and coached by Assistant Professor Joy M. Dy from Silliman’s College of Computer Studies.

Merge Conflict, the team from Silliman University, pitches their project.

Coming in second and third were O(1) Developers from CIT-U and Culay from UP Cebu, respectively. CIT-U also received the Outstanding School Award, while its all-female team she++ won Best UX/UI.

The two-day event kicked off with a five-hour hackathon where student teams, guided by industry mentors, developed tech solutions addressing issues in digital safety, health, education, gender empowerment, and disaster response. The event culminated in a pitching session and an awarding ceremony held during the IBPAP Career Awareness Day.

Launched as a pilot program by IBPAP’s Tech and AI Council, “Can You HackIT” aims to bridge the gap between the academe and the IT-BPM industry and to inspire students to create impact-driven technology solutions powered by artificial intelligence.