Five of the top 10 entries vying for the grand prize at the 6th SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards come from four Mindanao schools.
In the running for the best wireless application in line with this year’s theme, ‘Empowering Communities through Wireless Technologies’, are Development and Field-testing of a Digital Agricultural Land Mapping System (Ateneo de Davao University), Development of a Fish Density Detection System for the Fisherfolk of Lianga Bay (Ateneo de Davao University), TimeFree that helps students maximize waiting time during tuition payment (Ateneo de Zamboanga University), Low-cost Microcontroller-based Mobile Home Automation with Bluetooth and SMS (Mindanao State University) and Channelize Election Process (Notre Dame of Marbel University).
The public is invited to view the working models of all 10 finalists at the A. Venue Hall in Makati City from February 5 to 6.
A team from Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) will also present two disaster prevention devices – one of which placed second during last year’s SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards and led to a collaboration between the university and Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) on using cost-efficient wireless technologies to help communities reduce disaster risks and respond to calamities.
ADDU and SMART are now working with the Davao City Government on integrating a search and rescue management system as well as a mini-weather station in the city’s disaster preparedness response program.
The two-day event will also feature a prototype of a low-cost intensity meter developed by Cebu City’s University of San Carlos under a first-of-its-kind government-industry-academe partnership between the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART), and SWEEP schools.
Under the partnership, at least 11 SWEEP schools have committed to help improve disaster preparedness by researching and developing low-cost intensity meters and participating in monitoring seismic activity to help augment data collected via PHIVOLCS’ existing seismic stations.
Other entries that made it to the finals of SMART’s annual search for the best wireless applications development among SWEEP partner schools are: SMART Voting for Cleaner Elections (University of St. La Salle-Bacolod), Water Supply Management through Wireless Technology (Holy Name University), SMART Bantay Barangay (Ateneo de Manila University), SMART Karwats: An SMS-based Anti-Car Theft Security System with GPS Tracking Capability (Batangas State University and S-Mart.com that promotes growth of community businesses in Pampanga (Ateneo de Manila University).
Mindanaoan is super excited to share this great piece of news with you all! As you know, I’m a very proud Dabawenya and I promote Davao City as much as I can and in any way possible.
One of the ways that I do this is to blog about my hometown Davao (but of course!). Fortunately, I’m not the only one who loves to write about the world’s most livable city. There are a lot of other Davaoenos who are as eager to share updates, news, photos and even the latest chismis about Davao as I am!
Presenting BlogDavao.com – the most comprehensive aggregator site of Davao-based blogs. Blog Davao features Davao’s blogging landscape at a glance!
What’s great about this site is that you can easily find so many Davao-based blogs and quickly access the entries that may catch your fancy.
BlogDavao.com is where you can find updates on blogs about Davao City. Hear it straight from people who come from Davao City, from people who breathe and love Davao!
As you can see, Mindanaoan is one of the very proud contributors of BlogDavao.com
For fellow Dabawenyos like me who also have blogs about Davao, please visit the site now and don’t hesitate to contact the admin. I’m pretty sure they’d be happy to include your blog there as well!
Kudos to the people behind BlogDavao.com and here’s to more projects soon! Can’t wait!
Go Davao!
Five Mindanao cities and towns were among this year’s awardees in “Galing Pook.” The Galing Pook Awards 2009 is sponsored by the Galing Pook Foundation and aims to highlight the innovative and practical approaches to common local development challenges.
Galing Pook Awards also aims to highlight the best practices that actually worked in a Philippine town.
The 5 Mindanaoan areas that received the prestigious Galing Pook awards were Midsayap, North Cotabato; Surallah, North Cotabato; Sarangani, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon and Valencia City, Bukidnon.
Foundation chairman Rafael Coscuela said this year’s GPF awardees were chosen from 123 nominations by a national selection committee chaired by prominent economist Solita Monsod based on “innovation, positive results, transferability, sustainability, efficiency and people’s participation.”
To the local leaders of all Mindanao Galing Pook 2009 awardees — congratulations to all of you and keep up the very good work!


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Region 10 becoming Mindanao’s dominant regional economy
January 28, 2010
Bukidnon, Business, Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Commentary, Consumer, Features, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Mindanao, Mindanaoan Update, Misamis Occidental, News, Technology, Travel, iligan city, misamis oriental, northern mindanao
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Hi guys, the following is a pretty interesting read. This guest blog entry is from Mindanaoan’s friend, Mike Banos, a respected journalist based in Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao. Read, read, read
Since Iligan City and Lanao del Norte were integrated back into Northern Mindanao (Region 10) in 2002, the resulting region has remained Mindanao’s biggest economy. Recent years indicate it is now pulling away to attain a position of dominance among the island’s regional economies.
A quick look at the economic accounts of the island’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) shows that before the realignment of regions in 2002, Region 10 trailed the Davao Region (Region 11) in GRDP. However, since Iligan and Lanao del Norte rejoined Region 10 and some parts of the Davao region were re-aligned to the SOCCSKARGEN region, Davao has trailed Region 10 in current and adjusted GRDP.
The gap between the two region’s GRDPs in current prices wavered from P9.8-billion (B) in 2003, dropping to P7.8-B in 2005 before accelerating to P25.1-billion by 2008. However, when the differences are adjusted for 1985 constant prices (to negate the effects of inflation on prices), the figures graphically illustrate that the gap between Regions 10 and 11 has been exponentially increasing from P2.3-B in 2003 to P4.9-B in 2006 and further to 7.2-B in 2008.
Latest available data generated by the Economic and Social Statistics Office of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) from primary and secondary data sources gathered from various data producers in the country shows Region 10 with a 2008 GRDP of P362.4-billion vs. P337.3-B for Region 11 (based on current prices) or P71.7 billion vs. P62.99 billion based on 1985 constant prices, said Linnito Pascual, officer-in-charge/regional division head of the NSCB-10 office.
An analysis of the economic accounts of both regions reveal similarities as well as contrasts.
Continue reading →