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A Filipino-developed project has secured first place at the Lisk Southeast Asia (SEA) Buildathon 2025, a regional blockchain competition aimed at fostering innovation across the region.
Filipino Projects Win
In a Facebook and X post, local web3 community Ethereum Philippines (ETHPH) shared that Rampz, a peer-to-peer platform developed by Erich Jann Liwag, won the top prize, while another Philippine entry, HorizonCircle by Don Daryl Bustos, was named among the Top 10 finalists.
“This is a huge win for our builder community, showing the depth of talent across the Philippines. Congratulations! ETHPH is proud of you.”
Ethereum Philippines
On the other hand, in response to BitPinas, Lisk emphasized the need to support Filipino blockchain developers with education, networks, and funding.
“At Lisk, a purpose-built Ethereum Layer 2 for builders in high-growth markets like the Philippines, we offer end-to-end support for developers, from free bootcamps and hackathons to incubation and funding opportunities, empowering them to build, grow, and scale ideas into meaningful solutions with real impact.”
Lisk SEA
Local Support for Local Builders in Global Competitions
In an interview with BitPinas, Cristin Erispe, a core member of ETHPH, emphasized the community’s role in creating opportunities for Filipino developers to grow and compete globally.
“Our role as ETHPH has always been to build pathways. We create spaces where students, enthusiasts, and young engineers can learn Ethereum fundamentals, collaborate on open-source projects, and gain exposure to real-world competitions. Rampz and HorizonCircle both emerged from this grassroots cycle: they joined one of our endpoints and grew to carry their learnings into a global arena.”
Cristin Erispe, Core member, Ethereum Philippines
She added that the local ecosystem needs consistent support in education, mentorship, and rewards to help developers thrive, noting that many are self-taught and work in isolation.
“If we can provide sustained ways to connect the local with the global movement, then we’ll see not just individual wins, but an entire generation of builders consistently pushing boundaries.”
Cristin Erispe, Core Member, Ethereum Philippines
Encouraging Filipino Builders
For aspiring developers hesitant to join global competitions, Erispe advised not to wait until they feel ready. She encouraged aspiring developers not to hold back from joining global competitions, stressing that the goal is growth rather than perfection.
“To any Filipino developer pre-disqualifying themselves because it feels ‘overwhelming’: don’t wait until you feel ready. Competitions are not about proving perfection, they’re about growth. If you step in, even with simple ideas, you’ll find that your perspective as a Filipino dev is valuable and needed. Protocols are always looking for ways to solve their end-user problems. So one tip: master good UX flows. The Ethereum ecosystem has plenty of tools available, but they Are always underutilized.”
Cristin Erispe, Core Member, Ethereum Philippines
In response to BitPinas’ inquiry, Rampz’s founder, Erich Jann Liwag, urged Filipino developers to join global competitions like Lisk SEA, noting that even without feeling fully ready, the experience fosters growth and learning and proves local talent can compete globally.
“To all my fellow Filipino devs, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I know joining global competitions like Lisk SEA can feel intimidating, but trust me, you’ll never really feel ‘ready.’ The best way to grow is to just jump in.”
Erich Jann Liwag, Founder, Rampz
Bustos, the developer of HorizonCircle, encouraged aspiring developers not to wait until they feel “ready” before joining global competitions. He shared that support from communities like Cebu Tech Community, Web3 Cebu, ETH PH, and the Cebu startup scene helped him gain confidence, learn, and build projects.
“When you’re surrounded by people who believe in growing together, you stop thinking, “What if I fail?” and start realizing, “I don’t have to do this alone.” So my message is simple: if you’re hesitant, start anyway. Join the community, connect, and let yourself grow. You’ll be surprised how far you can go once you take that first step.”
Don Daryl Bustos, Developer, HorizonCircle
Get to Know: Rampz
“Proud moment for the team as our founder, Sir Erich Jann Liwag, took the stage at the LISK Southeast Asia Hackathon to accept 1st Place! What started as a bold idea to decentralize on/off-ramping is now gaining real traction. Built for users. Backed by purpose. Powered by smart contracts.”
Rampz
According to its DoraHacks page, Rampz is a decentralized, non-custodial platform that enables peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto on-ramping and off-ramping, allowing users to buy or sell cryptocurrency directly on-chain without KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements or intermediary control. The platform emphasizes zero platform fees, providing seamless access to global markets using multiple currencies and payment methods.
Safety features include:
- Smart contract escrow to lock funds until trades are complete
- Dispute resolution mechanisms
- User ratings, trade history, and reliability metrics
- Verified payment methods and fraud prevention layers
- Immutable blockchain records ensuring transparency and decentralization
How it works
- Connect wallet to the platform.
- Pick buy or sell and choose a payment method.
- Funds go into escrow (locked safely on-chain).
- The buyer pays the seller using a local payment method.
- Escrow releases crypto once payment is confirmed.
- Disputes handled through built-in resolution if needed.
Get to Know: HorizonCircle
In his X thread, Bustos described HorizonCircle as a community finance infrastructure designed to help small groups coordinate funds and support one another.
The Filipino developer clarified that HorizonCircle is “not a lending app” and “not a bank,” but a simple tool for circles of five to twelve friends.
Despite having less than a month to develop the project, compared to six to eight weeks for most participants, Bustos said he focused on delivering essential features, which helped HorizonCircle secure a spot in the Top 10 of the Lisk SEA Buildathon.
He credited the AI tool Claude Code for assisting with scaffolding and debugging during development and even incorporated running with the Azuki Run Club into his workflow whenever the AI system timed out.
“Made Top 10—but the job’s not done. Still refining the architecture. Still improving the flow. Still building. HorizonCircle isn’t a launch. It’s a start.”
Don Daryl Bustos, Developer, HorizonCircle
How it works:
Users can deposit crypto through Morpho Labs vaults and earn around 5%, request loans of up to 85% of their deposit, with collateral swapped via VelodromeFi before being deposited back into Morpho Labs.
- A small group forms a circle (Five to 12 people).
- Everyone deposits crypto into a vault (earns ~5% interest).
- Members can borrow up to 85% of what they deposited.
- Collateral is managed automatically through DeFi tools to keep it safe.
- After repayment, support rotates, so others in the circle can borrow.
Lisk SEA Buildathon
The competition, officially called the Lisk Builders Challenge Round 2 (SEA), ran from June 10 to August 3, 2025, with a total prize pool of $5,000.
Organized by Lisk and BlockDevId, the event challenged blockchain developers to create decentralized applications under two themes: web3 consumer apps and localized decentralized finance (DeFi).
Throughout the three-month program, participants received mentorship and attended workshops led by education partners Pelita Bangsa Academy and DevWeb3Jogja. The top 10 projects advanced to the final Demo Day in Bali on August 20, where they pitched their applications to judges in a hybrid online and on-site setting.
Projects were evaluated based on their impact on the Lisk ecosystem, innovation, technical implementation, user experience, documentation quality, and presentation skills.
What is Lisk?
According to its website, Lisk is an L2 blockchain built on Ethereum, designed to bring scalable, low-cost web3 infrastructure to high-growth markets such as Southeast Asia and Africa. It operates using the Optimism OP Stack as an optimistic roll-up, enabling fast, affordable, and secure transactions while inheriting Ethereum’s robust security model.
As per its roadmap, in Q4 2025 it will roll out fault proofs, enabling anyone to verify and challenge invalid withdrawals which mark Lisk’s move toward being a fully permissionless, decentralized rollup. Also scheduled is its Superchain interoperability, which will allow asset and data transfers across the OP Superchain.
This article is published on BitPinas: Filipino Project Wins Big in Lisk SEA Buildathon
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