Invention

An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition or process. The invention process is
a process within an overall engineering and product development process. It may be an
improvement upon a machine or product or a new process for creating an object or a result. An
invention that achieves a completely unique function or result may be a radical breakthrough. Such
works are novel and not obvious to others skilled in the same field. An inventor may be taking a big
step toward success or failure.
Some inventions can be patented. A patent legally protects the intellectual property rights of the
inventor and legally recognizes that a claimed invention is actually an invention. The rules and
requirements for patenting an invention vary by country and the process of obtaining a patent is
often expensive.
Another meaning of invention is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social
behaviours adopted by people and passed on to others.[1] The Institute for Social Inventions collected
many such ideas in magazines and books.[2] Invention is also an important component of artistic and
design creativity. Inventions often extend the boundaries of human knowledge, experience or
capability.

5 Remarkable Things Invented By Filipinos

Here are some Filipino inventions and ‘tatak Pinoy’ discoveries that may surprise and even inspire the
innovator in you.

Filipino invention #1: Bamboo incubator

Often, life finds a way — sometimes, even earlier than expected. Premature babies (infants born before
the mother’s 37th week of pregnancy) are typically underdeveloped and low in body fat percentage,
inhibiting their ability to maintain their normal body temperature. The modern medical incubator
addresses this; however, not all people who need it have access to such technology. This is a particularly
serious problem in rural areas, where such devices are generally inaccessible.

Fortunately, a solution came in the form of the first Filipino invention on this list: the bamboo incubator,
widely credited as the brainchild of Dr. Fe del Mundo. This makeshift device is relatively inexpensive and
easy to reproduce, making it ideal for use in rural communities and areas with no electricity. Developing
this ingenious take on a life-saving machine, though, is far from her only accomplishment. In 1936, Dr.
del Mundo became a Research Fellow in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

In addition, Dr. Del Mundo was the first woman to be recognized as a National Scientist here in the
Philippines, way back in 1980. In addition to all that, her passion for pediatrics and medicine led her to
establish the Children’s Medical Center, the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. Truly, Dr. del
Mundo is a pioneer thinker, and an inspiration for Filipino women.

Filipino invention #2: Erythromycin

Antibiotics are typically prescribed to us by our doctors as a remedy to ailments caused by
microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. Nowadays, most antibiotics are synthetically created in
laboratories by pharmacists and chemists. Before the onset of modern medicine, however, humans
depended on nature in order to deal with disease-causing microorganisms.

The first-ever antibiotic, Penicillin, was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1926 after a mould termed
Penicillium notatum contaminated one of his experiments. That kicked off a race to discover all sorts of
antibiotics from plants, insects, and even marine organisms.

Many followed this path to discovery, including Dr. Abelardo Aguilar. In 1949, via soil samples he
obtained from his backyard, Dr. Aguilar stumbled upon 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘶𝘴 (now
𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘢), the bacteria that would lead to the discovery of erythromycin.
Erythromycin is an antibiotic used in treating infections of the respiratory tract, Legionnaire’s disease,
and diphtheria, as well as urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis.

During that time, Dr. Aguilar worked under Eli Lily Co., a pharmaceutical company from the United
States. The company marketed erythromycin under the brand name Ilosone, earning billions of dollars
from the drug. Unfortunately, international patent laws stood in the way of him getting his fair share of
the fruits of his discovery. His 40-year struggle to receive royalties from the drug he discovered ended
when he died at the age of 76.

As former Philippine Health Secretary Juan Flavier put it: “Dr Aguilar has contributed so much in the
discovery of erythromycin. It is sad to hear that he got nothing out of it.”

Filipino invention #3: Challenge 21

Even in this digitally connected age, people still love playing board games. You’ve probably tried some of
the more popular ones, such as chess, checkers, Monopoly, Scrabble, Game of the Generals, or Snake
and Ladders.

Chances are you may have heard of — or perhaps even tried — Challenge 21, a relatively new board
game invented by, you guessed it, a Filipino. The mind behind this remarkable Filipino invention is Mr.
Leonardo Meija Yu, a 68-year-old retired economics professor and Philippine Ports Authority officer.

The board game borrows and incorporates aspects from games such as tic-tac-toe, scrabble, bingo,
chess, and (according to the creator himself) even basketball. The game, which can be played by up to 4
players, was designed to promote and develop abstract thinking, observation, and impromptu
strategizing.

Mr. Yu has received recognition for his invention, including the TUKLAS Award at the National Invention
Contest and Exhibit (NICE) in Pasay City.

Filipino invention #4: Mango flowering

The Philippines is a major source of mangoes in the world. With million worth of exports in 2015 alone,
the country ranks seventh in the global market. Regions such as Ilocos, Central Luzon, and Western
Visayas are among the country’s biggest producers of this seasonal fruit. The operative word here, of
course, is “seasonal,” as mangoes only flower during a specific period in the year. For quite some time,
Filipinos relied on smudging –the use of smoke from burning materials — to keep up with the demand
for mangoes.

National Scientist Ramon Barba, however, had a different idea.

Barba believed that smudging was tedious and expensive. Furthermore, the process also emits
pollutants into the atmosphere. He proposed an alternative: the use of a chemical spray called Etherel
(2-chloroethylphosphonic acid). His idea was met with derision and rejected for experiments, until one
day, his friends Mr. and Mrs. Jose Quimson allowed him to conduct a trial using 400 mango trees. And
the rest, as they say, is history.

In 2008, a documentary from the World Intellectual Property Office highlighted Barba’s discovery:

The prolific mango production in the Philippines is due in large measure to the ingenuity of one man
(Barba) … His invention, widely used today, revolutionized the Philippine mango industry, making the
crop one of the country’s top export earners.”

Even though Barba held the patent to the process, he charged no royalties for it. With the chemical
being cheap and readily accessible, this allowed many mango farmers to benefit from his idea, leading
to the boom in the mango industry that we enjoy today.

Filipino invention #5: The PC chipset

At this point, electronics have gone beyond being a simple human “want”; in fact, some may argue that
in today’s society, they have become a need.

Students, for instance, use their smartphones to connect with friends, to entertain themselves, or to do
research on the go. Laptops are also absolutely critical in the completion of their academic
requirements. These devices and many more help us build ties, work anywhere, and access information
in just a few clicks. All of these, of course, are 21st-century necessities.

Would you believe, though, that a Filipino played a key role in the decades-long development of these
high-tech devices?

Back in the day, companies were less about reducing the size of your gadget and more about
implementing the basics: processing data and presenting it to the user in an appreciable form. That
changed, however, after Diosdado Banatao, a native from Cagayan Valley, developed the first single-
chip 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator in the 1970s. He went on to create the world’s first system
logic chip sets in 1981, which allowed the integration of all of a computer’s essential data processing
features into a small package. He did not stop there, though. Banatao eventually came up with the first
Windows Graphics accelerator chip for personal computers. Thanks to these breakthroughs, he earned
himself a permanent place in the history of PC development.

Today, Banatao serves as the chairman of the board of directors for Inphi, a company specializing in
advanced semiconductor and Silicon photonics solutions. In addition, he founded the Philippine
Development Foundation (PhilDev), a nonprofit organization aiming to eliminate poverty through the
use of education, innovation, and entrepreneurship. -MF