By Dhel Nazario  The first-ever locally manufactured diesel engine was unveiled at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Science and Technology Week at the Iloilo Convention Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City. (DHEL NAZARIO / MANILA BULLETIN) This breakthrough would enable the Philippines to produce its own diesel engines without relying on the imported engines. This was made possible after the DOST Metal Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) partnered with the Supercast Foundry and Machinery Corporation (SFMC), in collaboration with the Bacolod city-based R.U. Foundry and Machinery Shop Corporation (RUFMSC). The locally-made diesel engine is a 12-horsepower single-cylinder type, which is strong and reliable enough to power different agricultural machineries. The engine is expected to provide the required power to propel different agricultural machineries and equipment to hasten implementation of the Farm Mechanization Program of the government. The locally-made engine is on display October 21 and 22. It was initially mounted on an RU Shredder manufactured by the RUFMSC in order to test and evaluate the motor's capacity, endurance, and output. The RUFMSC caters to casting, machining, and fabricating demands and the requirements of the sugar industry, cement/mining factories, as well agro-industrial companies in the Philippines. The SFMC is an advanced metal casting plant designed to produce world-class products with materials ranging from ferrous to non-ferrous alloys. Majority of the parts used to produce the engine came from local manufacturers but the MIRDC emphasized that all the components needed to produce an engine will soon be manufactured in the country. The MIRDC, an agency of DOST, is the only government entity which is directly supporting the metals and engineering industry in the country with services designed to enhance its competitive advantage.