Future Engineers and Technologists were recognized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and its attached agency the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) on Thursday at the Acacia Hotel in Muntinlupa City.

For the 2025 Magsaysay Future Engineers/Technologists (MFET) Award, 28 entries were submitted, with seven finalists selected.

The seven students had the chance to present their paper and participated in an open forum where they answered questions from a panel of judges with regards their respective works.

Special citations were awarded to Victore Anand D.G. Abao from University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Bertrand Michael Diola from UP Los Baños, Christine Joy Bernal from President Ramon Magsaysay State University, and Jose Manuel Subido from De La Salle University.

Following the special citations, the top three winners of the Magsaysay Award were led by Ivan Perry M. Cabayanan of Ateneo De Manila. He received P90,000 for his study “Adaptive PV Systems: Using Genetic Algorithm and Random Forest Classifier to Mitigate the Effects of Partial Shading on Solar Photovoltaic Systems.”

In second place, Ricja Alyzza Z. Dela Cruz of UP Los Baños was awarded P50,000 for her research on alleviating clogging issues in lung-on-a-chip blood chambers analyzing deviation distance, pit radius, surface wettability, and fluid velocity through ANSYS Fluent.

Rounding the top three, Kenneth Emerson R. Raquel of UP Visayas earned the third place and P30,000 for his work on the photocatalytic removal of oxytetracycline in aqueous solution using bamboo sawdust-derived carbon and titanium dioxide composite.

The DOST-NAST MFET Award encourages students to explore careers in STEM. It also recognizes outstanding research outputs on engineering and technology at a collegiate level.

DOST Undersecretary Maridon Sahagun in her remarks, emphasized the importance of nurturing young innovators. 

“The future is not something that simply unfolds, it is something we design, we build, and dare to imagine. At the center of this future are you, our young engineers and technologists,” Sahagun said. 

“You are not merely problem solvers; you are visionaries, and the DOST is here to support you in reaching greater heights.”