Day: August 7, 2026

West Visayas State University (WVSU) emerged as one of the top-performing institutions at AI Fest 2026, earning championship titles, research awards, and finalist finishes across multiple national competitions during the national festival held from Aug. 3 to 5 at the Iloilo Convention Center. The University’s strong showing reinforced its growing leadership in artificial intelligence, research, innovation, and creative technologies.

Anchored on the theme “Building an AI-Ready Future, Together,” AI Fest 2026 brought together researchers, students, industry leaders, government agencies, and technology innovators from across the country. Organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in collaboration with partner institutions in Western Visayas, the festival served as a platform for advancing the practical, ethical, and collaborative applications of artificial intelligence in governance, education, research, industry, and the creative economy.

As one of the festival’s partner institutions, WVSU played an active role in the event beyond competition, including hosting the SineAI Workshop as part of the festival’s series of preparatory activities that began in June. The University fielded participants across several flagship competitions, demonstrating excellence in research, robotics, software development, filmmaking, and game design.

Among WVSU’s biggest accomplishments was winning the AI Hackathon Open Category, the AI in Motion Robotics Competition, the SineAI Competition, and securing the top two awards in the AI Technical Conference Research Paper Presentation.

AI Technical Conference

The AI Technical Conference gathered researchers, academic institutions, government agencies, and industry professionals to present research addressing real-world applications of artificial intelligence.

Research Paper Presentation

1st Place – Mr. Shem Durst Elijah B. Sandig
TALAAN: A Framework for Offline Multi-Tier Retrieval-Augmented Generation in Philippine Local Government Document Intelligence

2nd Place – Dr. Nikie Jo E. Deocampo
Monocular Depth-Based Thoracic Morphology Analysis for Non-Invasive Pectus Excavatum Assessment

Poster Presentation

Presenter – Dr. Cyreneo S. Dofitas
Adaptive Object Detection with Confidence-Gated Early Exits for Energy-Constrained Road Perception

AI in Motion: Robotics Competition

The AI in Motion competition showcased AI-powered robotics solutions addressing real-world challenges through prototype development and hardware integration.

Champion – Hard Engineering Neighbors (4th Year BS Computer Science)
Project: MangoMind
Members:
Jullian A. Bilan
Clarence Anthony G. Bolivar
Frederick Jibril L. Buñag
Vincent L. Corpes Jr.
Jan Floyd J. Vallota
Mentor: Mr. Mark Joseph Solidarios

Finalist – HAI-5 (4th Year BS Computer Science)
Project: ResQPH: A Smart Autonomous Robotic System for Post-Disaster Area Surveillance and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Members:
Ariane Pearl Gegawin
Wilfame Esponilla
Joelmar Grecia
Aurelio Innocencio Sua III
Melissa Marielle Valdez
Mentor: Dr. Evan C. Sumido

AI Hackathon – Open Category

The national AI Hackathon challenged participants to develop AI-enabled solutions addressing pressing societal and industry concerns through collaborative innovation.

Champion – Team Bultokachi (BS Information Systems Alumni)
Project: Phantom Wake: A Physics-Informed Maritime Intelligence System for Dark-Vessel Search Corridor Prediction
Members:
James Andrew C. Dorado
Lance Gabriel B. Masigon
Gio Anthony A. Callos
Jemmar V. Padernal
Mary Shanley C. Sencil

Finalist – Team SARDEÑAS (3rd Year BS Information Technology)
Project: AquAIman: A Web-Based Coastal Intelligence System for Risk Classification and Patrol Prioritization in Northern Iloilo Coastal Areas
Members:
Lyka R. Lamparero
Mae Daniella Faith C. Benjamin
Justin Ace D. Ardeña
Luisa Rose D. Brillantes
Hannah Leigh F. Fernandez

Finalist – Team KADJA (3rd Year BS Computer Science)
Project: AETHER (Autonomous Eco-Sentinel for Threat Evaluation, Habitat Intelligence, and Ecosystem Resilience)
Members:
Allanah Jae B. Bragancia
Arvin B. Bearneza
Dominique Lorraine O. Dorado
Jan Dennis J. Dariagan
Kelly Ydrahn A. Alojepan

SineAI

SineAI highlighted the creative use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, supported by pre-event talks, workshops, and screenings designed to promote responsible AI-assisted storytelling.

Champion – ALL OF US ARE J (4th Year BS Computer Science)
Film: Istasyon Numero Nuebe
Members:
Jessie Lorraine Porras
Jethro Roland Danocup
Joelmar Grecia
Jazylle Mae Senibalo
Christine Joy Maravilla
Special Award: Innovation in Storytelling

Finalist – WEST COAST FILMS
Film: BALINSAYAW: A Vestige of Held Breaths
Members:
Ashley Nicole Bulotaolo (4th Year BS Information Systems)
Ariane Pearl Gegawin (4th Year BS Computer Science)
Meryll Klaryze Polaron (4th Year BS Information Systems)
Leann Villaruel (4th Year BS Computer Science)
Florence Elaine Soleno (4th Year BS Information Systems)

AI Game On!

AI Game On! encouraged participants to develop AI-powered games that preserve and reinterpret cultural heritage through immersive digital experiences.

Finalist – Team Hues
Game: Ginhawa
Members:
Quela D. Magbanua (3rd Year BS Entertainment and Multimedia Computing)
Lanz Gerard C. Elizaga (3rd Year BS Entertainment and Multimedia Computing)
Diosylle Niña Therese R. Auditor (2nd Year BS Information Systems)

Finalist – Kalye Co. (4th Year BS Computer Science)
Game: Kalye Corazón
Members:
Ariane Pearl C. Gegawin
Wilfame Esponilla
Melissa Marielle Valdez

The University’s strong performance across multiple categories reflects WVSU’s growing capabilities in artificial intelligence, interdisciplinary research, software development, robotics, and digital creativity. It also highlights the University’s commitment to producing graduates equipped to develop innovative, ethical, and socially responsive technologies that address real-world challenges.
Through its active participation and partnership in AI Fest 2026, WVSU continues to strengthen its role in advancing innovation, research excellence, and industry collaboration while contributing to the country’s vision of building an AI-ready future.