In their senior year at Kapalong National High School in Davao del Norte, four students were quietly building an app that would change lives. Unknown to many of their friends and teachers, Jhydd Mahinay, Prince Eco Barlisan, Marvin Jhon Alegario, and Floyd Karlo Ganza were developing Deafy, a mobile application for the deaf community that made it to the Giga phase — the final round — of PLDT and Smart’s Innovation Generation Season 4 (InnoGen 4).
“It was our first time joining an innovation competition,” said Mahinay. “Our group even submitted three proposals to boost our chances. We were ready to work on all of them if needed.”
In the end, it was Deafy — a mobile app that converts sign language to text and speech, and vice versa, in real time — that became the group’s ticket to InnoGen 4.
“Our mentor suggested the project,” he added. “She shared that it was difficult to converse with a hearing-impaired student because she didn’t know Filipino Sign Language.”
Once the excitement of qualifying sank in, pressure followed. Not only was it their first innovation competition, but none of them also knew how to code — an essential skill to have when the proposed solution is a smartphone application.
“I had to pick up programming right away, on top of everything else I was juggling,” said Prince Eco Barlisan, the group’s programmer. “I signed up for free online bootcamps and watched countless YouTube tutorials. I grabbed every chance to learn — if it was free, I was on it.”
It was quite a feat in itself, considering that like most high schools in the Philippines, theirs does not offer any programming course. Still, the app was promising enough to carry the team to the final round — but they knew they had to do more.
During a mentorship session, Ervir Cabiling, Senior Solutions Architect Supervisor at Smart’s Network Strategy & Transformation Office, suggested adding artificial intelligence (AI) to the system.
“We tried it and it was very helpful in detecting hand gestures,” said Mahinay. The team also added tutorial videos to help users learn sign language.
When the group finally revealed Deafy to their principal, the head of the school’s Special Needs Education (SNED) program and master teachers during beta testing, the reaction was awe.
Deafy went on to impress judges at InnoGen 4’s Demo Day. It was so well put up that it bagged the top prize — “The Real MVP” — among senior high school entries. The award recognizes the most groundbreaking solution with lasting community impact, embodying this season’s theme of inclusivity, sustainability and scalability.
“Innovation Generation provides a platform for young innovators to create impactful, lasting tech-powered solutions for their communities,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart. “Through lectures, workshops, and mentoring sessions, the program helps future tech mavericks refine their ideas.”
Launched with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), the fourth season of Innovation Generation was anchored on the theme “Innovation for All” which aims to empower persons with disabilities.
InnoGen underscores PLDT and Smart’s commitment to meaningful innovation and to advancing UNSDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. By championing accessibility and opportunities for persons with disabilities, the program also supports the Philippines’ commitment to an inclusive and sustainable ASEAN future.
