28/04/2026
Congratulations to the TUP Visayas โI-Countโ Team! ๐
The COAC family proudly celebrates your outstanding achievement in receiving the Presidential Award and the Sibol Award at the 2026 DOST NICE Awards. Your innovation, excellence, and dedication bring great honor to TUP Visayas and inspire the entire COAC community. We are proud of you!
๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฌ "๐-๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ" ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ 2026 ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ
MANILA, Philippines โ April 28, 2026 โ Reaffirming the national commitment to fostering Filipino innovation, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. conferred the prestigious Presidential Award under Republic Act No. 7459 to the "I-Count" team from the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) Visayas during the 2026 National Invention Contest and Exhibits (NICE) Awards. The ceremony was held today at the Presidentโs Hall in Malacaรฑan Palace.
The TUP Visayas team, representing the College of Automation and Control, who also won the IDEASPARKS Pitching Competition Season 2 last 2025, earned the highly coveted Sibol Award for Outstanding Student Creative Research for College. Together with their adviser Mr. Mark Winston Gabutero, the brilliant young minds behind the I-Count innovation are:
Bennet Jillian B. Fabrigas
Allen Joy P. Parreรฑo
John Oscar E. Sta. Ana
Ma. Mikkaella O. Nadales
John Keci Rebadomia
Paul Richard Villason
President Marcos led the conferment ceremony, utilizing the platform to emphasize the Administrationโs unwavering dedication to providing crucial financial and technical support to Filipino inventors. The recognition of the I-Count team highlights the vital role of the youth and the academe in shaping the country's technological and economic landscape.
Spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology โ Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI), the NICE Awards program is designed to strengthen the marketing, promotion, and continuous support for DOST-generated technologies and homegrown inventions.
The awards are deeply anchored in Republic Act (R.A.) No. 7459, also known as the Inventors and Invention Incentives Act of the Philippines. This legislation underscores the governmentโs mandate and commitment to nurturing domestic innovation to drive inclusive national development. (TIPTTO/Jragabiota)