Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) has reaffirmed its partnership with the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) for the third consecutive year by supporting the 8th edition of the imake.wemake:create.innovate.collaborate competition. This initiative continues to empower young Filipino innovators to develop science-based solutions to contemporary challenges.
Aligned with Honda’s global brand message, The Power of Dreams – How We Move You, HCPI’s involvement underscores its long-standing commitment to advancing innovation and enabling social impact. The latest cycle of the competition culminated in a Final Presentation and Awarding Ceremony held on April 24–25, 2025, at Ascott Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Twenty school teams showcased projects that reflected high levels of creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration.
As part of its sustained support, HCPI once again sponsored the Youth Innovation Prize (YIP), granting PHP 200,000 each to three winning schools for their innovative and impactful projects. Awardees were selected based on criteria such as novelty and patentability, functionality, collaboration, feasibility, presentation, and relevance.
The top three schools awarded the YIP were:
- Bantayan Science High School – Project LUSAI: A LiDAR-enabled unmanned surface vehicle system that maps seagrass beds, detects underwater debris, and monitors water quality. It significantly improves marine conservation by offering faster and more detailed environmental scans compared to traditional methods.
- Lala National High School – C.R.A.B.-Tech: An automated crab-harvesting technology that uses sensors and load cells to identify and collect only market-sized crabs. This system promotes sustainable aquaculture and better yields for local crab farmers.
- Rizal National Science High School – Project SALIN: A speech-to-animation wearable that translates spoken words into Filipino Sign Language using AI and Arduino technology. Designed to support hearing-impaired individuals, it also aids teachers, families, and government agencies working in Special Needs Education.
During the event, DOST scholar and Pili Seal inventor Engr. Mark Kennedy Bantugon shared his personal journey and urged students to value the significance of humble beginnings. He encouraged the youth to persist in building meaningful solutions that create lasting change.
HCPI remains dedicated to helping young Filipinos transform their ideas into reality and to fostering innovation that drives positive societal development. As Honda continues to pursue its mission of empowering dreams, it stands firmly behind programs that nurture the next generation of changemakers.
To learn more about Honda’s initiatives for youth empowerment, visit https://global.honda/en/philanthropy/youth_for_the_future/.
