The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, as well as the Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) of the University of the Philippines Manila must have reason to be proud after their faculty, biochemist Dr. Gracia Fe B. Yu won the top prize of the prestigious Alfredo M. Yao National Intellectual Property Awards 2014 for her invention deemed to have the most significant impact on the life of the Filipino people. Dr. Yu’s invention titled “Novel naturally-derived composition from endogenous plants with anti-inflammatory and antidiarrheal applications, focusing on better safety and efficacy”, a medicinal drug proven capable of treating inflammation and associated pains, was a product of years of rigorous research accomplished in partnership with Philippine National Scientist Dr. Lourdes J. Cruz.

Winners with the judges, Engr. Merito Carag & DOST Undersecretary Dela Peña:Top:1st place - UP Manila, Bottom-left: 2nd place - PUP Sta. Mesa& Bottom-right: 3rd place - Inventor Roman Lugto 

Adjudged First Runner-Up was the technology invented by a neophyte group of Engineering students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)-Manila. The PUP invention titled “Phantom Load Blocker”, is an electrical device intended to help particularly lower income households to save significantly on electric consumption costs, especially when electricity prices are on the rise. 

Meanwhile, individual inventor Mr. Roman Lugto’s invention was declared Second Runner-Up. His invention named “Self-Propelled Grain Collecting Machine”, is an agricultural equipment seen to be a boon to the rice trading industry in the Philippines. Mr. Lugto was assisted by the Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), helping him in patent search or searching for the prior art (or existing technology) in the field of agriculture, including drafting the patent claims.

The judges engage with the contestants during the presentation of their inventions. 

Conceptualized and launched by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) in 2009, the AMY IP Awards was bankrolled in furtherance of PCCI’s advocacy to “promote appreciation and application of intellectual property and to support the development and commercialization of locally developed inventions and innovations”. The AMY Awards is given to “Filipino-owned intellectual properties (IPs) that have contributed or have the potential to contribute to economic development and social awareness”.  Done in collaboration with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the AMY Awards also seeks to “provide a venue [for] IPs to be presented to potential investors and boost [the commercialization of these technologies]”. 

There were several technology entries submitted for this tilt but after the pre-screening process done by the Bureau of Patents of IPOPHL, only 10 entries qualified for the competition. The qualified invention entries each passed the criteria on prior art, novelty, and industrial applicability. 

Dr. Yu, along with UP Manila, will receive a cash prize of Php200,000.00 plus an Eduardo Castrillo trophy from IPOPHL, while the PUP students will receive a cash prize of Php100,000.00 plus, also a Castrillo trophy from IPOPHL. Mr. Lugto will also receive a cash prize of Php50,000.00 plus also a Castrillo trophy from IPOPHL. 

Beforehand, PCCI had set in place well-defined guidelines on sharing of cash prizes for a winning invention by group or individual category, or a winning invention helped by an ITSO. The guidelines were made known to all parties prior to the competition. 

All winners will be invited to a formal awarding ceremony at the Concluding Plenary of the 40th Philippine Business Conference (PBC) organized by PCCI on 24 October 2014. PPCI has invited His Excellency President Benigno Aquino III to the event to confer the awards. The awarding event may also possibly give the winners an opportunity to promote their technologies for commercialization with a group of potential investors from the various business sectors who will be present at the PBC.

The judges and organizers during the deliberation of the presentations. 

The institutions represented by all invention entries, including those of the winners, are all members of the ITSO network across the Philippines. The ITSO, a program established by IPOPHL in 2010, was envisioned to be a patent library to provide patent and IP related services to the community clientele within the service geography of the ITSO members. Now, each ITSO is seen as a potent stimulator of economic growth and development through the production and eventual commercialization of the member-institutions’ valuable IP assets and technologies that have evident positive impact on the economy and society, thus changing people’s lives. 

The other technology inventions that were judged in this year’s AMY IP competition came from Adamson University, University of Santo Tomas, University of the Philippines Diliman, West Visayas State University, Technological University of the Philippines-Taguig, and Bulacan State University.

Judges of the 2014 AMY Awards: DOST USEC. Dela Peña, PCCI's Mr. Varela & IPOPHL's Engr. Carag 

The Committee of Judges was chaired by Mr. Jesus Varela of PCCI, with Undersecretary Fortunato T. dela Pena of the Department of Science and Technology, and Engr. Merito Carag of IPOPHL as members.