Team Salom, a tech design group from Agusan del Norte, Philippines has bagged this year’s Haquathon 2.0 regional hackathon for tech-based solutions to save the seas.
The United States Embassy and Save Philippine Seas (SPS) bared the winners in a statement on July 7, 2021.
The Agusan del Norte-based tech group emerged as the winners among participating teams of innovators from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The competitors 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.
A total of 15 teams joined the workshop series between March and June this year where they spoke with experts from the ASEAN region concerning innovative approaches to sustainable development and 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 the support of SPS and the US Embassy will make it possible to realize their vision of building a generation of “responsible citizens who have the heart for marine life”.
The US Embassy in the Philippines said it 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.
The Embassy said Haquathon 2.0 teams will reconvene in 2022 with updates on their projects.