Featured image above via PCIEERD. Awarding of the Public Impact Research Intervention Innovation Award to DOST-PHIVOLCS, Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU), and UP Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry (UP TCAGP) for their outstanding projects: GeoriskPH (Geospatial Information Management & Analysis Project for Hazards & Risk Assessment in the Philippines), ALeRTO (Automated Local Evaluation in Real-Time Operations) Early Warning System, and Multi-platform and Cross-Sensor Water Quality Monitoring.
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PASAY CITY — The Department of Science and Technology, through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), honors outstanding Filipino innovators and researchers during its 15th anniversary celebration, held on June 27, 2025.
The Kabalikat Award, which began in 2013, is DOST PCIEERD’s way of rewarding partners and collaborators from many disciplines, such as private organizations, government agencies, media companies, and even academic and research institutes, for aiding the agency with several projects.
This year, DOST PCIEERD gave out the following awards: the Outstanding Technology Commercialized Innovation Award, the Public Impact Research Intervention Innovation Award, the Innovation Champion Award, and the ST & I Leadership Award.
To acknowledge the success of their technologies in moving from ideas to real products, the council gives the Outstanding Technology Commercialized Innovation Award to DOST funded innovations like USHER, ViOM, CharM, and VISSER.
CharM, an EV charging solution that delivers a full charge in under 60 minutes, has already deployed units in UP Diliman Campus, Tuguegarao City, Quezon City, Pasay City, Dapitan City, Uptown Mall Taguig, Pasig City, and Cavite.
For USHER, about 127 units of its structural health monitoring system have been successfully installed in private buildings, government buildings, and even bridges in the country.
Meanwhile, over 69 metric tons of Vigormin products have been utilized to remove organic pollutants, absorb heavy metals like mercury (Hg), and other suspended solids.
VISSER, which can function as a timer, ruler, weighing scale, digital thermometer, barometer, camera, audio recorder, DC voltmeter, and others, has been used by students in some science laboratories in every school and college.
For the Public Impact Research Intervention Innovation Award, recognition is given to the DOST funded innovations like the Geospatial Information Management & Analysis Project for Hazards & Risk Assessment in the Philippines (GeoriskPH), GeoSAFER Automated Local Evaluation in Real-Time Operations (ALeRTO), and the Multi-platform and Cross-Sensor Water Quality Monitoring (MCWQM).
Past PCIEERD officials feted also
The goal of GeoriskPH is to enhance the effectiveness of hazard and risk assessments by utilizing the Central American method. Through the project, PHIVOLCS has developed analysis tools such as GeoAnalyticsPH, the HazardHunterPH web application, and the HazardHunterPH mobile application.
ALeRTO, on the other hand, is an early warning system to help flood-prone communities in Mindanao mitigate disaster risks. With its advanced warning features, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has integrated ALeRTO into their OPLAN LISTO as a localized weather disturbance protocol.
Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines has been able to monitor and obtain more detailed data from Laguna Lake, one of the largest lakes in Southeast Asia, through the MCWQM project. Using the data, the researchers can craft both long-term and short-term plans for efficient water resource management.
“The innovative solutions and projects awarded today deserve commendable acknowledgment. It is my hope that your achievements will inspire a multitude of innovators and researchers in their future endeavors,” said DOST Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum.
Additionally, the council also awarded Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino the Innovation Champion Award for his pivotal role in authoring and sponsoring the Innovative StartupAct (ISA). ISA cleared the path for the council’s entrepreneurial ecosystem development programs, including Women-Helping-Women: Innovating Social Enterprises (WHWISE), Startup Grant Fund (SGF), Technology Business Incubator (TBI), and Regional Startup Enablers for Ecosystem Development (ReSEED). The act allows PCIEERD to sponsor 67 businesses, which together collected Php 82 million in financing and brought in Php 260 million in income in 2024 alone.
“As we reach another milestone of supporting innovations, we wanted to give back the honor to the excellent Filipinos through the Kabalikat Awards, whose projects and innovations have benefited our industry and economy by providing solutions to challenges we’re facing today,” said DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit.
Lastly, PCIEERD gave the highest honor to Dr. Amelia Guevarra, Dr. Rowena Cristina Guevarra, Dr. Carlos Primo David, Dr. Reynaldo Ebora, Dr. Carol Yorobe, and Dr. Raul Sabularse for the Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I) Leadership Award. For the previous 15 years, they have been the council’s executive directors, deputy directors, and officers-in-charge. (/)