ELEVEN semi-finalists are set to compete in the Visayas Sub-National Competition of the Filipinnovation Awards 2025, happening on July 16–17 in Cebu City.
The Filipinnovation Awards mark the inaugural National Regional Innovation Awards and Competitions (NRIAC), established as an annual event under the Philippine Innovation Act, also known as Republic Act 1123.
During a press briefing at the Philippine Information Agency 7 (PIA 7) on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) 7 Assistant Regional Director Evelyn Nacario-Castro stated that the Filipinnovation Awards 2025 aim to promote and recognize a culture of innovation across the country.
“Recognize them and at the same time really provide some degree of support. This will then allow inspiration for others to look at and explore possibilities to develop solutions that are needed in our various communities,” she said.
Of the 11 semi-finalists, three attended the briefing and introduced their innovations.
Jemar Jude Maranga showcased Gradechum, an AI-based platform that automates checking handwritten exams, including multiple-choice, problem-solving, and essays, based on teacher-set rubrics.
According to Maranga, Gradechum is currently utilized by three schools, reducing a supposed 13 hours of checking to approximately two hours.
Maranga added that the platform can be optimized, customized, and utilized in nationwide assessments like the National Achievement Test (NAT) and the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE).
Meanwhile, Dr. Danilo B. Largo introduced the Seaweed Hatchery for Sargassum Aquaculture. He developed the first-ever culture of brown seaweed sargassum. This innovation uses hatchery methods for large-scale seaweed production, promoting biomass and marine habitat creation.
On the other hand, Ryan Michael Gelig presented SugboDoc, a cloud-based electronic medical records (EMR) system that streamlines facility operations from registration to billing processes.
Out of 181 fully submitted entries nationwide, 51 were from the Visayas, with 11 shortlisted for the sub-national competition.
For the competition, the country is divided into four clusters: Luzon, National Capital Region, Visayas, and Mindanao. Each cluster will select three innovations to advance to the national competition in October.
The national competition will feature 15 finalists: 12 from the four clusters (three finalists each) and three wild cards selected from across the four sub-national competitions.
Five Filipinnovators will be awarded P3.5 million each, while the rest of the participants will receive PHP 250,000. / Necolyn Claire Balansag and Divine Grace Bendanillo, CNU Interns.