In communities across the country, good ideas often stay just that — ideas. A life-saving system sits unused by the local government that needs it. A farmer keeps working the old, slower way, simply because no one showed them another path.

POLLD Emergency System Corporation and Kasaka Agriventures, Inc. refused to let their innovations stop there. POLLD built the WERT System, an offline-resilient emergency command infrastructure designed to help local government units prepare for and respond to disasters. Kasaka developed an Automated Coconut Sap Juice Extractor, aimed at easing the labor-intensive work of coconut farmers and improving their livelihoods.

Both companies entered the Mindanao Sub-National Competition of the 2026 Presidential Filipinnovation Awards, and both were named among only four Mindanao finalists advancing to the national stage.

As DOST NorMin Regional Director Dr. Mark Lemuel L. Garcia said during the competition, “An innovation does not create impact simply because it is brilliant. It creates impact when it reaches the people who need it.”