SU teams take on AI-powered solutions at IBPAP Challenge 2026
Two teams from Silliman University (SU) developed artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled solutions addressing rural transportation and access to government services during “Can You HackIT? The IBPAP Challenge 2026,” held August 17, 2026, at the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) in Cebu City.
Representing SU were teams from the College of Computer Studies (CCS) and College of Business Administration (CBA). They were the only two teams from Dumaguete City among the 20 teams that qualified for the competition from an initial pool of 48 registrants.
The full-day hackathon challenged participants to build, code, and pitch solutions to real-world problems in four areas: resilient systems, intelligent rural transportation access, civic access and opportunity platforms, and transparent and accountable systems. Teams spent five hours developing their projects in the morning before presenting their solutions during the afternoon pitching and awarding sessions.
The CBA team, Enigma, developed GentleTrike, an AI-enabled rural ride-sharing platform designed to make tricycle transportation more accessible and efficient. The platform incorporates ordinance-based fares, intelligent passenger pooling, natural-language ride requests, and real-time coordination among riders, drivers, and local government units (LGUs).
Meanwhile, CCS team Pyth.on! developed AgakAI, an AI-enabled civic access companion designed to help senior citizens navigate government services, claim benefits, and participate in public consultations. Through multilingual voice and text prompts in Cebuano, Tagalog, or English, senior citizens can inquire about available benefits, opportunities, and government programs without having to navigate complicated digital interfaces.
AgakAI matches users’ queries with information from LGU databases to provide relevant responses while minimizing inaccurate AI-generated information. It also uses pattern and sentiment analysis to identify users’ needs and recommend relevant programs and events. For LGUs, the platform is envisioned as a way to improve the reach of programs such as health screenings and services for senior citizens.
Team Pyth.on! was composed of Mario Antonio Lee, BS Information Technology III; Keene Ivan Adlawon, BS Computer Science II; Franzyl Bjorn Macalua, BS Computer Science III; Miguel Luis Jumawan, BS Computer Science III; and Ari Benedikt Ebrole, BS Information Technology III. Asst. Prof. Joy M. Dy served as coach, with Ariel Grayda of Accenture Philippines as mentor.
Team Enigma was composed of Rej Cedric Encabo, Joumana Kaye Frances Mira, Mira Bianca Bustos, Adrian Pintacasi, and Juan Miguel Villanueva, all BS Business Administration major in Business Analytics IV students. Asst. Prof. Larry Vincent Regencia served as adviser, while Sheena Justine Negro and Jigz Cortes of Accenture Philippines served as mentors.
The participation gave the SU teams an opportunity to apply their computing and business analytics skills to challenges affecting communities, developing technology-driven approaches centered on transportation access and more inclusive delivery of public services.
