Mapúa MCL Engineering students and faculty triumph in 2026 STMicroelectronics PH Hackathon
by Lois Gabrielle D. Tobias and Fery Heart M. Sulpico
Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna’s (Mapúa MCL) engineering students from the Mapúa Institute of Technology at Laguna (MITL) showed amazing skill and hard work by winning big at the 2026 STMicroelectronics Philippines Hackathon Competition on September 4, 2026, held at STMicroelectronics, Calamba, Laguna. Working hard to help the community and protect the planet, the students built smart tech projects that match global goals for good health and better education. With the strong help of their faculty mentors, multiple groups from Mapúa MCL won spots among the top six project proposals.
One of these top six projects was InfraRap – A Soil Compaction Monitoring System for Landslide-Prone Areas and Susceptibility Mapping, which was designed to help keep people safe from dangerous landslides. This important safety project was put together by a team of Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering students, including Shonn Kayle B. Andal, Micah Andrea C. Sadia, Josh D. Valenzuela, Alfred Angelo A. Ocampo, Richard Lee G. Ablaza, Enrike Yuan C. Moral, Kashieca Joy S. Magpayo, and Dan Ivan G. Sy. They received great advice from faculty coaches, Engr. Jose B. Lazaro and Engr. Monette M. Loy-a, with Computer Engineering Department Chair Engr. Maribelle D. Nicerio acting as the overall coordinator.
The other two top six projects were SOLA-RENT: Smart Pay-As-You-Go Solar Platform and FloodSense: An Edge-AI Flash Flood Early Warning System for Barangay Micro-Catchments. The clean energy SOLA-RENT platform was created by Christian Paolo A. Palupit, Jan Michel C. Pacion, Cris Dwight O. Jalandoni, and Winston Earl B. Estoquia. Meanwhile, the FloodSense early warning system was built by Shannja Ashley C. Malelang, Jeriel Andrei C. Santos, John Benedict D. De Castro, and Cris Dwight O. Jalandoni. Both teams were guided by a dedicated group of faculty coaches: Engr. Kristine Joyce P. Ortiz, Engr. Jonathan R. Oracion, Engr. Cesar G. Manalo, Engr. Maribelle D. Nicerio, and Engr. Catherine S. Salvador.
Following the rigorous presentation of their project proposals and working prototypes, SOLA-RENT and FloodSense achieved an even greater milestone by being selected as two of the recipients of the Best of Three Presenter Award.
Their final prototypes will be exhibited and presented alongside Batangas University for the final ranking at Quest Hotel on September 4, 2026. The event will be attended by STMicroelectronics organizers, partner companies, local government units, and industry leaders. Moreover, the Heads of the Department of Energy and the Department of Trade and Industry, as well as representatives from the French and Italian Consulates, will also be present at the event.
These results reflect the students’ dedication to turning what they learn in class into practical tools designed to support and protect the community. This remarkable achievement supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education and Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.
