Article by: Sophia Catherine Reyes
Graphics by: Albert Dylan D. David
Jeremy C. De Leon, a Mapúan from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (MME), landed first place and fourth runner-up in the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD)’s first-ever #PinoyInnovator TikTok Challenge last June 21.
Aiming to test Filipino’s resourcefulness, the contest required participants to produce gadgets using only household items. The Manufacturing Engineering student’s winning innovation, the Php 35 Microscope, was made from lenses from a laser, a hairclip, and his mobile phone, while his fourth runner-up piece, the Flashlight Microscope-Projector, used only his mobile phone, laser lenses, and a flashlight. The two inventions granted him Php 20,000 and Php 5,000, respectively.
In an online article published by the Philippine News Agency last June 22, PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico Paringit commented on the impact of De Leon’s innovation to the public.
"The innovation made by Mr. de Leon [will give hope to] our students and teachers at home who would like to do science exploration while being at home. We saw in his project the ingenuity of our Filipino researchers, scientists, and engineers and his skill in conveying his message to the audience in a clear and understandable manner," Paringit said.
According to De Leon, he found out about the challenge from Pinoy Science’s Facebook page and decided to give the competition a try. Sharing his hopes for the youth to be more curious and engaged in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, the MME student imparted, “[The videos] they watch [through the] #PinoyInnovatorChallenge may appear like magic, but [they] can be explained through physics.”
Still, the process of making his TikTok videos was not easy. Due to the pandemic, De Leon also encountered difficulties such as acquiring the materials needed for his inventions. “If I thought of an idea, I [would] want to work on it and test it out right away. The wait makes me uneasy,” he shared as he struggled with the delay of purchasing materials online.
Nevertheless, De Leon encourages his fellow Mapúans to keep pressing on despite the difficulties, “everyone experiences failures, but what separates a Mapúan is [their] ability to turn that failure into […] success.”
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