ACCENTECX AI launches for sustainable data systems in Western Visayas

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Government agencies, academic institutions, industry leaders, and startups gathered for the official launch of ACCENTECX AI and the First Western Visayas Regional Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence for National Sustainability last Monday, March 2, highlighting the role of structured data infrastructure in advancing regional sustainability and innovation.

The online event formally introduced ACCENTECX AI as a structured artificial intelligence data infrastructure initiative aligned with sustainability, research, and regional development priorities.

Representatives from several national and regional institutions joined the launch, including the Department of Economy, Planning and Development Region 6, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center-Aquaculture Department, and the University of the Philippines Visayas.

Officials from the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division also attended, including Lt. Col. Catherine Gulle II of the 3rd Signal Battalion, Capt. Wilfredo Banuelos Jr., information security officer of the division training school, and Col. Arturo Balgos Jr., commandant of the division training school.

In a recorded message, Department of Economy, Planning and Development Region 6 Chief Economic Development Specialist Ma. Leah L. Letrero said initiatives like ACCENTECX AI reflect the region’s efforts to adapt to rapid technological change.

“It is encouraging to see emerging organizations in Western Visayas stepping forward to contribute to the growing field of artificial intelligence and data innovation,” Letrero said.

She noted that AI is increasingly becoming a practical tool for improving industries and decision-making.

“Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept. It is becoming a practical tool for strengthening industries, improving decision-making and supporting sustainable development,” she said.

Letrero added that collaboration among government, academia, and industry is essential to ensure technological innovation benefits communities.

“While continued collaboration across sectors will be essential, initiatives like this demonstrate that meaningful innovation can begin at the regional level,” she said.

AI data annotation refers to the process of labeling raw data — such as images, text, or video — so that machine learning systems can recognize patterns and make accurate predictions, a foundational step in developing reliable AI applications.

Prof. Carmelo Del Castillo, president and chief executive officer of ACCENTECX AI, said the organization aims to develop ethical AI data systems focused on environmental intelligence.

“We are a Philippine space data company specializing in high-quality ethical AI data annotation and curation, and right now we’re focusing on marine environmental and sustainable industries,” Del Castillo said.

He explained that AI relies heavily on reliable datasets and scientific validation.

“There is so much data that we don’t know what it is unless an expert looks at it,” he said, noting that large volumes of environmental data remain unstructured and difficult to analyze.

According to Del Castillo, ACCENTECX AI seeks to address this gap through high-precision annotation of marine, climate, and agricultural data while ensuring transparency in how data is collected and used.

ACCENTECX AI chairperson and chief technology officer Joseph Masso emphasized that AI development must begin with strong data foundations.

“Artificial intelligence does not start with a model. It does not start with code. It starts with data,” Masso said.

“If the data is weak, the system will be weak. If the data is biased, the system will be biased,” he added.

Masso said the organization plans to establish a workforce training hub to enable local communities to participate in the AI economy.

“We are creating a workforce training hub so that our students, our fishermen, our farmers and our widowed women in our region can gain real skills in data collection and participate meaningfully in the AI economy,” he said.

He also introduced a proposed initiative called the “National Blue Superintelligence,” a dataset focused on the country’s marine ecosystems.

“We are intending to have 10 million annotated data involving images and videos both underwater and above the water,” Masso said.

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands surrounded by some of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world, making ocean data particularly valuable for climate resilience, fisheries management, and environmental policy.

According to Masso, the project could support research and policymaking related to climate resilience, maritime security, flood mitigation, and environmental monitoring.

“The Philippines is covered by water, and if we need to fix most of the issues here in the Philippines, we need to dig into the water to solve most of them,” Masso said.

Speakers during the dialogue emphasized the importance of high-quality data and collaboration among sectors in developing responsible AI systems.

DATAI chief executive officer Tom Farrugia said AI systems depend on reliable datasets and rigorous data preparation.

“Data is the fuel,” Farrugia said. “Without annotations and quality assurance, you have the garbage-in, garbage-out effect.”

He added that properly labeled and verified datasets are necessary to ensure AI systems function effectively in real-world environments.

StellarPH founder Piotr Steinmetz said the Philippines has strong potential to build an innovation-driven startup ecosystem.

“Our vision is that the Philippines could be a global innovation hub for entrepreneurship,” Steinmetz said.

Panelists also stressed the need for safeguards and human oversight in deploying AI systems.

“Responsible AI is not about slowing down innovation. It’s about building trust,” Farrugia said, emphasizing the importance of human supervision in critical applications.

Del Castillo likewise highlighted the need for scientifically validated data to guide AI development.

“AI is going to happen. The question is simply how we are going to ride this wave,” he said.