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1. Yoyo
We all know “yoyo” as that rounded and stringed toy that kids play nowadays.
But unbeknownst to many, the original “yoyo” was far from what it is today, in
terms of both appearance and purpose. Used by the natives 400 years ago as a
combat weapon against Spaniards and intruders, the first “yoyo” was large and
had sharp edges and studs. It was also attached to thick 20-feet long ropes for
flinging at enemies or prey. The modern toy that we know today was the
brainchild of law undergraduate Pedro Flores, whose idea was later brought to
reality. Thanks to America, the toy was mass produced and became one of the
most distinct toys the world has ever known.

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2. E-Jeepney
After Americans left our country, Filipinos succeeded to make an authentic
“jeepney” from scratch. Since then, the popular Philippine vehicle has faced a lot
of innovative transformations until the modern “E-Jeepney” was finally
introduced in Metro Manila and Bacolod City. Unlike the standard jeepney we
have been accustomed to, this modern means of transportation offers three
advantages: it is nature-friendly  because E-Jeepneys are noiseless and
smokeless, it uses electricity so use of expensive diesel will gradually decrease,
and jeepney drivers will  take home more profits as the electricity is
significantly cheaper than the ordinary diesel.

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3. Medical Incubator
Fe del Mundo, the first Asian to have entered the prestigious Harvard
University’s School of Medicine, is also credited for her studies that led to the
invention of incubator and jaundice relieving device. According
to wikipilipinas.org, the improvised incubator was made up of two native
laundry baskets of different sizes placed one inside the other. Hot water bottles
were placed all around between them to provide warmth. There was also a
makeshift hood over the overlapping baskets to allow oxygen to circulate within.
It was created to address the needs of rural areas with no electricity that is
needed to regulate newborn babies’ body temperature.

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4. Erythromycin
This well-known medicine is an antibiotic derived from the bacterium
Streptomyces erythreus. Not known by many, the Ilonggo doctor/scientist
Abelardo Aguilar is the one who discovered the said strain in 1949 using the soil
in his home province. Unfortunately, when he sent it to his U.S employer in Eli
Lilli Co. to separate the strain, the Indiana-based company owned the drug and
didn’t give Aguilar any credit for his outstanding discovery.

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5. Patis
You’re wrong if you assumed that patis or fish sauce has been here in the
Philippines since the Spanish era. As a  matter of fact, this popular salty partner
of many popular Filipino dishes was only discovered after the Japanese
occupation in the 1940’s. Ruperta David, also known in history as Aling Tentay
was responsible for its accidental discovery. According to Philippine Daily
Inquirer, the family of Aling Tentay started a dried fish business after the war.
One day, Aling Tentay stored in jars some salted fish that turned into fragments
even before they dried. While in jars, the fish fragments turned into a liquid
substance that tasted like our Patis today. Thus the beginning of the thriving
Patis business of Aling Tentay, which was officially registered in 1949 and is
known today as Tentay Food and Sauces Inc.

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6. Banana Catsup
Filipinos just love using banana catsup as a condiment for almost every known
dish in the Philippines. This is not surprising at all because the popular variation
of tomato catsup was another brainchild of a great Filipino food
technologist, Maria Orosa y Ylagan (1893–1945). According to historical
accounts, she created the first ever recipe for banana catsup and
also experimented with foods native to the Philippines and formulated food
products like calamansi nip, a desiccated and powdered form of calamansi that
could be used to make calamansi juice, and a powdered preparation of soya-
beans called Soyalac, a “magic food” preparation which helped save the lives of
thousands of Filipinos, Americans, and other nationals who were held prisoner in
different Japanese concentration camps during World War II.
7. Anticancer Cream
 Filipino inventor Rolando dela Cruz won the gold medal for his “DeBCC” anti-
cancer cream at the prestigious International Inventor’s Forum in November of
2005. The “DeBCC” cream, developed from cashew nuts and other local herbs,
was chosen over 1,500 entries as the “most significant invention” of the year. It
is a treatment intended specifically for basal skin carcinoma (BSC), which is the
most prevalent type of skin cancer worlwide.

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8. 16-Bit Microchip
According to Wikipilipinas.org, Diosdado Banatao developed the first single-chip
graphical user interface accelerator that made computers work a lot faster. This
invention has allowed computer users to use graphics for commands and not the
usual typed commands in older computers. It has allowed data processing to be
a little faster using very little space (small chips instead of large boards).

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9. Quink Ink
The Quink quick drying ink was invented by Francisco Quisumbing, a chemist. It
was an innovative ink at that time and was further developed to work with
Parker Pens. Aside from being quick drying, it was also water-resistant, did not
clog the pen opening, does not blot and will not fade. It is considered as one if
the best selling ink for fountain pens of the millennium.

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10.  Mole Remover
Rolando dela Cruz developed in the year 2000 an ingenuous formula that could
easily remove deeply grown moles or warts from the skin without leaving marks
or hurting the patient. His formula was extracted from cashew nut (Annacardium
occidentale), which is common in the Philippines. The formula won for dela Cruz
a gold medal in International Invention, Innovation, Industrial Design and
Technology Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur in September 2000.

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11. Filipino-made Train
According to Atty. Antonio Oposa Jr., the founder of Law of Nature Foundation, a
Filipino-made train that was launched in Cebu will not only solve traffic
congestion but will also lessen the carbon emission since this mass transport
system will be run using renewable energy. Invented by electronics engineer
Bryan Yuson, the train was designed with three charging systems; the solar
panel, wind mill, and the pedals. Yuson said that the energy from the three
systems will be charged to the six batteries attached to the train and will power
up the two 24 volts motor to run the train.  The train is also flexible, if the Cebu
government cannot have railways for trains, it can still run in the highways using
the usual vehicle tires. According to ABS-CBN News-Central Visayas, Yuson
firmly said that he will not sell his invention to foreigners. He said that the train
will solely be made by Filipino hands and it will be the Filipinos who will benefit
from it.

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12. 3-in-1 fire truck
Angelo B. Palmones, president of AGHAM or Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng
Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan, said two years ago that the Anos
fire truck, named “Patriot,” may yet be the most reliable partner in fire-fighting
because it is a three in-one package: a fire truck, a rescue vehicle, and
ambulance. The “Patriot” was invented by Inventor Alfredo M. Anos, Sr., known
as the godfather of Filipino inventors.“Its triple capability allows firefighters and
emergency workers to simultaneously put out fire, rescue people and animals,
and provide first aid treatment to the injured. The ambulance and rescue fire
truck uses compressed air foam system that is five to seven times more efficient
than plain water in putting out fire,” Palmones said during an interview with
Manila Bulletin.

* Other Filipino inventions with their inventors that you might want to know:
1. Karaoke ( a compact audio device that had a microphone, an amplifier
speaker, cassette tape mechanisms, a microphone mixer that had features that
enhanced voice, and an optional radio tuner) – Roberto del Rosario
2. Videophone (a device for the hearing impaired) – Gregorio Zara
3. Modular Housing  System( a system capable of building within weeks a house
with prefabricated materials that can withstand typhoons and
earthquakes) – Edgardo Vazquez
4. Super Bunker Formula-L (a revolutionary fuel half-composed of water) – Rudy
Lantano Sr.
5. “Tubig Talino” ( an iodine-rich drinking water that treats micronutrient
deficiencies responsible for goiter, mental and physical retardation, and birth
defects) – Department of Science and Technology
7. SMS Reader for the Blind (a device that allows the blind to read and send text
messages) – group of four engineering students from the De La Salle University
8. Solar Powered Balut maker (an incubator that can process duck eggs into
embryonated eggs or balut for 15 to 17 days) – College of Engineering and Agro-
Industrial Technology at the University of the Philippines-Los Banos
9. Super Kalan ( a novelty stove that can be fired with anything that burns—
wood, paper, dried dung and leaves, corn cobs, and coco shells) – Narciso
Mosuela 
10. Drug Detection (method for detecting drug use by pregnant females by
detecting traces in the baby’s stools) – Dr. Enrique Ostrea 
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