Philippine Team Wins Regional Marine Hackathon

On July 7, Save Philippine Seas (SPS) and the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines announced Agusan del Norte-based Team Salom as the winners of this year’s Haquathon 2.0, a regional hackathon for tech-based solutions to save our seas.

Team Salom led the charge among participating teams of innovators from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam who designed technological responses to marine environmental challenges, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; sustainable, consumption, and production; climate change; and citizen engagement.  Haquathon 2.0 winners and runners-up (a total of five teams) received seed funding grants of up to Php100,000 ($2,000) to implement their solutions.

Between March and June this year, 15 teams joined the workshop series. They spoke with experts from the ASEAN region who discussed innovative approaches to sustainable development and fostered regional cooperation on environmental protection.

“The issues of our ocean are complex, and we can’t solve them without innovation and technology.  All the groups that participated in Haquathon 2.0 show us that crisis inspires creativity and ingenuity,” said SPS Executive Director Anna Oposa.

Salom team member Alexis Sebote said, “With the support of SPS and the U.S. Embassy, it will be possible to realize our vision of building a generation of responsible citizens who have the heart for marine life.”

The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines is committed to supporting environmental sustainability in the ASEAN region.  “This year, we mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the Philippines.  We are looking ahead to the next 75 years of the relationship and collaborating with partners like SPS to develop a sustainable, healthy environment,” said U.S. Embassy Public Engagement Officer Pauline Anderson.

Haquathon 2.0 teams will reconvene in 2022 with updates on their projects.

For more information about the Haquathon 2.0 teams and their projects, visit https://www.savephilippineseas.org/haquathon2.