The Rotary Club of Manila honored seven Filipino workers and engineers Thursday during the 2026 TOWER Awards, recognizing grassroots innovations that generated millions of pesos in savings and boosted industrial productivity.

The Outstanding Workers of the Republic Awards, held at the Fairmont Hotel Makati, highlighted exceptional contributions from the manufacturing, engineering and technology sectors.

Organizers cited that the practical breakthroughs achieved by the honorees demonstrate how meaningful industrial progress often comes from the workers closest to day-to-day operations.

Among this year’s honorees was Jansen Angeles of Zenith Foods Corporation, whose waste-management innovation for sausage production lines generated more than P9 million in cumulative savings while improving wastewater treatment.

At Global 3D Systems Inc., Roberto Bismonte was recognized for helping pioneer locally designed, industrial-grade stereolithography 3D printers, which slashed equipment acquisition costs for local firms by up to 55 percent.

Agricultural and food processing innovations also took center stage during the ceremony.

Renato Lopez of Dole Philippines, Inc. designed an automated cup inverter system that reduced manual labor and created over P7.6 million in savings, while his colleague, Rowena Gumban, was honored for redesigning processing line operations to optimize manpower and save more than P9.2 million.

Meanwhile, Norvin Adang of Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines developed an organic lubricant alternative using coconut by-products, lowering maintenance costs and yielding annual savings exceeding P1.6 million.