CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Saint Michael College of Caraga (SMCC) dominated the regional cybersecurity arena on Sept. 2 at Almont Inland Resort, sweeping both the champion and first runner-up titles at the HackforGov 2026 Capture-the-Flag Regional Qualifying Round.
Organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology Region 13 under the theme “Decoding Youth Innovation, Anchoring One Nation’s Digital Defense,” the event gathered 60 student-competitors across 15 teams representing 14 schools in the region. Participating teams were tested in a simulated environment requiring real-time vulnerability analysis, security incident investigations, and threat resolution.
SMCC’s Team Michaelinian Tech Knights claimed the overall championship, earning the right to represent the Caraga Region at the HackforGov National Finals in Metro Manila this December. SMCC’s second entry, Team Un!N$P3CT3d, secured first runner-up, while Team Xavier Knights of St. Francis Xavier College finished second runner-up.
"This remarkable achievement highlights the growing excellence of our students in the field of cybersecurity," SMCC's College of Computing and Information Sciences said in a statement following the win.
Led by team leader Arnolex R. Taghoy, the championship squad also included Frenzel RG T. Ferrer, Christian S. Timogan, and Franz Marc E. Gelicame. The first runner-up team comprised Clark Justin Algarme, Jancarl Maturan, Aijalon Sindo, and Mike Denver Avis. Both SMCC teams were coached by faculty adviser Ronel Falo.
In addition to the team finishes, the organizers named four outstanding individual performers across the competition. SMCC's Taghoy and Ferrer earned individual honors alongside Ralph Vincent P. Tajantajan of Caraga State University Main Campus and Lee Mark E. Escobal of Surigao Del Norte State University Del Carmen Campus.
Escobal also clinched a national Wildcard slot, granting him a spot on the multi-regional composite Wildcard Team competing at the Metro Manila finals later this year.
