PH gold winners at Silicon Valley invention fest feted by DOST

GMA Network

a day ago

DOST recognizes the achievements of Filipino inventors who won Gold and First Prize awards at the 4th Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival and the 3rd China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. (Photo by Jiselle Anne Casucian)
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recognized four Filipino innovations that recently made their mark in the international scene.
During a press conference on Tuesday, DOST presented the inventors of Sambacur Plus, the Unsinkable PortaBoat, and the Sultana Digital Rice Vendo Machine, which won Gold awards at the 4th Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival.
DOST also presented the innovator for Pili AdheSeal, which landed first prize at the 3rd China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
'Yung mga innovations na pinakikita kanina at mga pinopondohan ng DOST, yung mga inventions o innovations na tumutugon sa problema ng malaking sektor ng lipunan,' said DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.
(These innovations that were shown and funded by the DOST are inventions or innovations that respond to the problems of society.)
DOST recognizes the achievements of Filipino inventors who won Gold and First Prize awards at the 4th Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival and the 3rd China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/GO9RbnMceX — Jiselle Casucian (@jaycecasucian) August 19, 2025
Sambacur Plus, made by father-and-son tandem Dr. Richard Nixon Gomez and Rigel Gomez, is a food supplement made from four Philippine-grown herbs with components that can help manage kidney function to combat Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
Through the use of Sambacur Plus, the inventors said several patients undergoing or are due to undergo dialysis were able to lower their creatinine enough to eliminate the need for it.
'Sambacur Plus is made of four Philippine-grown herbs: Sambong, Banaba, Curcumin, Piperine. When all of these are combined, it can help strengthen the kidneys and liver. If the kidney is strong, it can overcome problems like Chronic Kidney Disease where the creatinine go up…" said Richard Gomez.
'We found modern scientific evidence to back that these [herbs had] health benefits for the kidney, liver, as well as all the other health benefits we have. We combined the benefits of these natural herbs, took their extracts, and made sure that there are thousands of clinical research and test results all from third party to ensure that these are done in a clear, unbiased manner,' added Rigel Gomez.
The unsinkable PortaBoat by Ronald Pagsanghan is a rescue boat made of buoyant materials that can never sink, making it ideal for urban operations.
'Ang rubber boat, di siya reliable [sa rescue] sapagkat madali siyang mabutas at yung mga bangka po naman, kailangan po ng katig para maging stable so di sila makakapasok sa narrow places. Ang fiberglass boat, pag sumalok ng tubig dire-diretso na yan [at] di mo marerecover… Talagang vulnerable tayo pagdating sa baha. Doon po natin naisip ngayon ang unsinkable rescue boat base doon sa limitation na ginagamit natin pagdating sa urban rescue,' Pagsanghan shared.
(Rubber boats are unreliable [for rescue] because they're easy to break, and boats need outriggers to be stable to enter narrow places. Fiberglass boats can no longer be recovered once they take in water… We really are vulnerable when it comes to flooding. That's where we thought of the unsinkable rescue boat based on the limitations of what we use when it comes to urban rescue.)
'Mayroon tayong highly buoyant materials na nilalagay doon [sa boat]… Kahit tumaob yan, di yan lulubog, recover mo lang siya. Automatic, may gravity [na] made-drain yung tubig kaya pwede na pong sumakay. Sa ikli niya na 13 to 15-footer, nagkakarga po siya ng anim hanggang sampu. Akala mo maliit pero mataas ang kaniyang loading capacity,' he added.
(We have highly buoyant materials placed in the [boat]… Even if it capsizes, it won't sink, so you only have to recover it. Automatically, it has gravity that will drain the water so you can hop back in. With its length of 13 to 15-footer, it can carry six to ten. You would think it's small, but it has a high loading capacity.)
The boat can hold up to around 1,600 pounds and will remain afloat even when damaged.
Made by Jefferson Chong, the Sultana Digital Rice Vendo Machine helps make rice retail sales more economical and accessible for both farmers and consumers.
The machine will help reduce milling costs for farmers, resulting in lower market prices of rice.
'Pag [nadala] natin yung ating mga machines sa community o farmer, yung presyo ng ating bigas ay bababa. Why? Because yung farmer natin ay binebenta ang palay is costly, it's 15 pesos or 16 pesos per kilo. Pero dahil sa machine natin, ang milling fee natin is only 4 pesos based sa computation sa running na machine, magiging P19,' Chong said.
(Once [we bring] these machines to communities or farmers, the price of our rice will be lower. Why? Because our farmers are selling the rice at P15 per kilo. But because of the machines, our milling fee will only cost P4 based on the computation of running the machine, so it will be around P19 only.)
Meanwhile, Mark Bantugon's Pili AdheSeal was a sealant made from Pili sap, which had a non-toxic smell and was strong enough to be used in aviation.
In addition, the sealant can be maximized post-use and turned into a fertilizer.
'One of the benefits of the product is the residuals, which can be converted into safe fertilizer. Aside from that, one of the noticeable qualities of traditional sealants is their toxic smell. Pili is very popular with essential oils, so when you smell the Pili Seal, it's like smelling essential oils,' he shared.
Solidum emphasized the need to showcase and develop the Filipino intelligence.
He highlighted that Filipino innovations are born out of the need to help the country.
'Ang mantra ko, to be successful, you have to love the problem more than the solution. If you love the problem, aaralin mo yun. Dahil sobra mong mahal, gusto mo solusyonan at yung solusyon mo ay magiging sagot sa problema,' Solidum said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News