A photo collage of the innovations displayed at the exhibit of DOST-7 RSTW from April 23–25 in a mall in Cebu City. | By Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The innovative minds of Filipinos recently took center stage at the Regional Science and Technology Week (RSTW) held in Cebu.
Local innovators showcased their breakthroughs in science and technology, promoting sustainable solutions.
As part of the three-day celebration organized by the Department of Science and Technology-Central Visayas (DOST-7), various innovations were featured in an exhibit held at a mall in Cebu City from April 23 to 25.
Exhibitors included fisherfolk from Region 7, students from the Philippine Science High School – Central Visayas Campus (PSHS-CVisC) in Argao, southern Cebu, and the Philippine Textile Research Institute of DOST (DOST-PTRI).
Photo by Niña Mae C. Oliverio
This year’s theme focused on the “Blue Economy,” which emphasizes the sustainable development of marine resources, fisheries, maritime transportation, and coastal industries in Central Visayas.
Sea products
For Jear Hemodo and Evelyn Malicay, fisherfolk from Negros Oriental and Siquijor, RSTW gave them the chance not only to showcase but also sell their products to exhibit-goers at affordable prices.
They displayed items such as dried and bottled squid, bottled bangus, seaweed-based crackers and toasted bread, and even polvoron made from dried fish.
Both are members of community organizations and beneficiaries of the Fish Visayas project by the AFOS Foundation, a German charitable group.
READ: Danao City boosts efforts for digital innovations
Innovation is more than just technology
Hemodo said their products are outcomes of the Fish Visayas project in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), which trained them in sea product processing.
Photo by Niña Mae C. Oliverio
“Sometimes, bumababa ang presyo pag maraming huli kaya we processed [them]…pag maraming supply tapos mababa yung demand, ang presyo ng aming produkto, ng aming hinuhuli ay bumababa, kaya we are very thankful for this opportunity sa RSTW na nandito kami nag exhibit kami ng aming mga association products,” Hemodo said.
Malicay added that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also assisted them in product labeling, design, and pricing.
MRI, chlorine detection kits
Senior High School students from PSHS-CVisC presented various innovations, including the MRI Kit — a YOLOv7-based image processing device for diagnosing and classifying brain tumors in MRI scans — developed by Sebastian Luis De Guzman, Mark Russell Lagunsad, and Devonne Klaud Quimada.
Using a Raspberry Pi camera to capture MRI films, the device processes images through a deep learning model (YOLOv7) to identify and classify brain tumor types in real-time.
De Guzman said the project came to life after their classmate, Lagunsad, shared that his grandfather had a brain tumor.
The students also exhibited a chlorine detection kit called “Kahel” (meaning orange in Filipino). It is a paper strip that uses chemical reactions to detect and measure bleach concentration.
Photo by Niña Mae C. Oliverio
Tristan Joshuel Villegas, one of Kahel’s three creators, said they were inspired by “unprofessional chlorine management” in a community in Taloot, Argao.
According to PSHS-CVisC teacher Vanessa Destura, these innovations are also introduced to stakeholders with the hope of bringing them to market.
Destura said the target beneficiaries are marginalized communities with limited or no access to high-end technology.
Sustainable textiles
Aside from seafood products and diagnostic kits, textile breakthroughs also shared the spotlight at the exhibit by DOST-PTRI.
One of the featured innovations was a pineapple-blended fabric that is already available in the market through a local brand, said Cornelio Loyola Jr., a science research specialist at DOST-PTRI.
Other showcased items included textiles made from banana, abaca, bamboo, and Philippine silk, as well as footwear using natural fibers being sold in various regions of the country.
“The significance of this event is promoting and mainstreaming our innovations. We are not just limited within our laboratories, but we’re also trying to show the people,” Loyola said.
He added that their innovations are “one hundred percent Filipino-made,” which Filipinos should take pride in.
During the opening ceremony on April 23, DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Sanco Mabborang underscored the importance of collaboration in advancing science, technology, and innovation.
“Our goal is not only to innovate, but to ensure that innovation reaches people and communities where it matters most,” Mabborang said. /clorenciana
