SmartCT, the Local Implementing Partner (LIP) for the Philippines under the ASEAN Foundation’s Scam Ready ASEAN programme, marked a significant step in its Mindanao rollout this month with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing with the Iligan City local government, thru Center for Disaster Innovation and Information Studies (CDIIS), followed by a scam-awareness gameplay event at Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).
Formalising Partnership with Iligan City
SmartCT signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Iligan City local government, formalising a partnership to bring Scam Ready ASEAN’s training modules, awareness campaigns, and the “Be Scam Ready” game to communities across the city. The MOU reflects Iligan City’s commitment to strengthening digital resilience among its residents as part of a coordinated response to the rising threat of online scams in the region.
“Digital transformation is only meaningful if it is safe for everyone,” said Iligan City Mayor Frederick W. Siao. “As Iligan continues to grow as a digitally progressive city, ensuring our residents can navigate the online world with confidence and awareness is just as important as building the infrastructure itself. This partnership with SmartCT and the ASEAN Foundation is a step toward that kind of inclusive, secure digital future.”
Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) continues to serve as SmartCT’s regional hub for Mindanao, working alongside partner CDIIS to extend the programme’s reach across the island.
“As a university, we prepare our students not only for their careers but for the digital world they will navigate every day,” said MSU-IIT Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan. “Partnering with SmartCT and the ASEAN Foundation on Scam Ready ASEAN allows us to extend that responsibility beyond the classroom ; equipping our graduates and our community with the awareness they need to stay safe as they step into an increasingly digital future.”
Scam Ready Gameplay Event at MSU-IIT
Following the MOU signing, SmartCT held a Scam Ready gameplay event at MSU-IIT for graduating senior students and early-career job-seekers, two groups increasingly targeted by fraudulent job offers, phishing schemes, and online recruitment scams. Participants played the “Be Scam Ready” game, a gamified learning tool grounded in inoculation theory that immerses users in realistic scam scenarios to help them recognise and resist deception before encountering it in real life. The event reflects the programme’s broader goal of embedding scam awareness into the everyday routines of Filipino youth entering the workforce.
“Every signature and every gameplay moves us closer to a Philippines that is truly scam ready,” said Kristel Anne Villanueva, PMP, Executive Director of SmartCT. “Iligan City and MSU-IIT are showing what’s possible when local government, academia, and community come together around digital safety.”
SmartCT will continue to roll out Training-of-Trainers sessions, recruit GrandPal Ambassadors, and expand gameplay events across Mindanao and nationwide as it works toward equipping 120 Master Trainers to reach 40,000 end-beneficiaries across the Philippines.
About Scam Ready ASEAN
The Scam Ready ASEAN programme is implemented by the ASEAN Foundation with USD 5 million in support from Google.org from 2025 to 2027. The programme aims to equip 3 million people across ASEAN with practical knowledge to recognise and respond to online scams, including emerging AI-driven threats. Through structured training, gamified learning such as the Be Scam Ready game, public awareness campaigns, and national and regional engagements, the programme seeks to strengthen digital resilience across communities. Working with 20 local organisations, Scam Ready ASEAN will mobilise 2,000 Master Trainers and reach more than 550,000 learners using expert-developed modules tailored to all 11 ASEAN Member States. The programme will also develop an open-access resource hub and collaborate with trusted local voices to expand public awareness. Together, these efforts aim to foster a culture of vigilance and mutual care across ASEAN.
Together, these efforts aim to foster a culture of vigilance and mutual care across communities in ASEAN.
For more information, visit: https://aseanfoundation.org/programme/scam-ready-asean/
About ASEAN Foundation
Three decades after ASEAN was established, ASEAN leaders recognised that there remained inadequate shared prosperity, ASEAN awareness, and contact among the people of ASEAN. In response, the ASEAN Foundation was established during ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Commemorative Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 15 December 1997.
ASEAN Foundation is an organisation from and for the people of ASEAN. The Foundation exists to build a cohesive and prosperous ASEAN Community by promoting awareness, identity, interaction, and development of the people of ASEAN. For more information, visit: www.aseanfoundation.org.
About SmartCT
SmartCT is a Philippine non-profit organisation and current ASEAN Foundation implementing partner, serving as the Local Implementing Partner for Scam Ready ASEAN in the Philippines. Building on its experience leading AI Ready ASEAN, which reached over 320,000 Filipino citizens through AI literacy training and awareness campaigns, SmartCT works with government agencies, academic institutions, and civil society to deliver large-scale digital literacy and online safety programmes nationwide. Learn more at smartct.org . Contact: info@smartct.org
Want your story to be published? Subscribe to TNC via email partnerships@thenewchannel.com.
Follow TNC on Social Media FB – https://www.facebook.com/TNCnow/, IG – https://www.instagram.com/tncnow/, Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@tncnow, LI – https://www.linkedin.com/company/thenewchannel/, X – https://x.com/tnc_now, YT – https://www.youtube.com/@TNCNow
Be updated on what’s new around the world, check your published stories by searching #TNCnow #OnTNC or check them out here: https://thenewchannel.com/highligh