With the theme of "Connection, Glory, Future," the national leg of Huawei ICT Competition Philippines 2021 concluded Friday with the teams from the University of the East and STI College bagging the top awards.
Huawei Philippines named the University of the East team as the champion for the cloud category of the competition. The team is composed of instructor Alexis John Rubio and students Jio Vince Chua, Jerwin Samala and Mark Jayson Gutierrez.
For the network track, STI College received the top prize with their instructor Beronika Peña and students Roy Molod Jr., Renante Burgos Jr. and Mharjon Abante.
Taking home the first place accolades were Mapua University for the cloud track and the Cebu Institute of Technology – University for the network category. The Mapua team is represented by instructor Dionis A. Padilla and students Claudette Jean de Pano, Roberto Santos Jr. and Juan Gabriel Potestades. On the other hand, the Cebu Institute of Technology team is led by Larmie S. Feliscuzo with students Jasper Ching, Arriane Yu and Arjayl Martel.
The winning teams will represent the Philippines in the Asia Pacific round for an opportunity to compete in the Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals.
In his speech during the awarding ceremony, Todd Liu, President of Huawei Philippines Enterprise Business Group, expressed his deep appreciation for the continued participation of Filipino ICT students, teachers and universities in the annual global competition.
"Our mission remains the same, we created a non-profit platform for teachers and students all over the world to acquire and apply valuable skills. We were able to address and equip the next generation with the new needs of the industry by facilitating international exchange, communication and knowledge transfer," Liu said, affirming Huawei's commitment to developing the ICT talent ecosystem.
Hon. Prospero De Vera, Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, recognized Huawei's contribution to the Philippine education sector, saying: "CHED has been working closely with Huawei to support innovative technological interventions in education during the pandemic. Huawei ICT Academy champions and cultivates the skills of students, turning professional application into real-world ICT change through ICT." He added that CHED "will continue to thrive under the restrictions of the pandemic through programs from the ICT community."
Sharing his insights with the attendees, Dr. William Torres, touted as the "Father of the Philippine Internet," said "students have honed more skills and gained more knowledge through the Huawei ICT Competition."
He explained that through this process, students learn more about the real-life application of ICT. "More importantly, students benefit from being exposed to how ICT is deployed to solve problems in the real world. They are fit for the future after undergoing industry-oriented training," he said.
Huawei ICT Academy holds the ICT Competition to enable students to improve their practical capabilities and boost their competitiveness in the job market. The Academy provides free certification training to professors and students to cultivate local ICT talents and help accelerate the country's ICT industry development.
Huawei established the ICT Academy in the Philippines in 2019 with only 10 university partners. To date, Huawei ICT Academy has more than 50 university members in the Philippines. From 600 students certified in 2020, Huawei Philippines hopes to certify 5,000 within 5 years. Huawei's program also extends to trainers from different universities across the country.
