Labor day is celebrated in the Philippines, and around the world to recognise the dignity of  work. In the same spirit of honoring other human capabilities - for innovation and creativity - let us look at three Filipino working class heroes who are inventors in their own right too.

1. Ronaldo Pagsanghan

Counted among the country’s millions of Overseas Filipino Workers and employed as a seaman, Ronaldo Pagsanghan used his know-how in seafaring in making the “unsinkable” boat following the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy.

According to an article in the Philippines News Agency, Mr. Pagsanghan was alarmed by the delay of deployment of rescue boats  during the deadly typhoon and was compelled to come up with the invention.

The “unsinkable portable boat” was applied for patent protection as an invention in 2011, and granted protection in 2015. 

2. Melchor Henosa

Again proving that adversity is not a hindrance to innovation and creativity, Mr. Melchor Henosa has gained widespread acclaim for a technology that automatically stops leaking of automotive brake fluid.

Inventor Henosa dropped out of second year high school and became a jeepney driver for 15 years. This did not prevent his ingenuity from kicking in, when he noticed one day the persistent brake fluid leakage in his vehicle. He thought of an automatic check valve to prevent drainage at first drip, and could not stop thinking about the idea days after.

He made his design soon after and borrowed money to make a prototype, which stood testing and evaluation.

For his automotive safety invention, Mr. Henosa was declared the grand winner of the DOST’s 2016 National Invention Contest and Exhibits (Nice), bagging the Outstanding Invention (Tuklas) Award, with P150,000 cash, certificate, plaque, and Wipo (World Intellectual Property Organization) Gold Medal.

3. Mary Ann Macaloi

Having no formal training in the sciences did not stop Ms. Macaloi from offering a technical solution to the problem of proper solid waste disposal. With a degree in accounting and for many years as a Church minister, Ms. Macaloi sought to offer an inventive solution through her patented garbage disposal machine.

Ms. Macaloi hopes for the widespread use of her waste disposal machine to engender a  sustainable and ‘green’ method of disposal. The invention, which can be placed in the home much like a washing machine, grinds solid waste into smaller particles  or even into liquid form.