Stories centered on engineering ingenuity and environmental sustainability emerged as this year’s standouts at the Gawad Alunig x Dalumat (GAxD) campaign. The winning teams were honored by the Technology Application and Promotion Institute, an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology.
Davao-based Creative Blocks emerged as Gawad Alunig grand champion for their video advertisement Taghoy, inspired by Lumad 6.0, an innovation developed under the University of Mindanao Mechanical Engineering program. Designed with aerodynamics to improve fuel efficiency, the vehicle became a metaphorical anchor for the team’s narrative on resilience.
Drawing from the Visayan word Taghoy, meaning “calling the wind,” the group framed wind as a symbol of perseverance and adaptation.
Natalie Rose Pimentel of Creative Blocks shared that their team interpreted calling the wind as a sign of perseverance. “When you persevere, you call the wind. Our story revolved around the journey from resisting to finally embracing and calling the wind. It’s also a message to other creators to persist in achieving their goals.”
In the Gawad Dalumat category, Bihasaya of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, won for their photo essay I-POT of Tomorrow, which highlighted sustainable tree-planting through the innovative use of fallen ipil-ipil sheaths fashioned into biodegradable pots.
The campaign received nearly 200 video and photo essay entries from 15 regions.
