Robotics team from Bulacan school to compete in Greece

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ROBOTICS engineering may not be popular in the Philippines but for a group of students in Bulacan, it is their Lego, RF toy and Roblox rolled into one.

Eights students from Dr. Yanga's Colleges, Inc. (DYCI) in Bocaue town are taking their liking for building into the next level by making their gizmos and robots relevant to the environment and the community.

The team is set to compete in the First Lego League Open European Championship in Korinthos, Greece, on May 2-4, 2025, where young inventors from more than 50 countries pit their skills and talents in creating intelligent machines that can assist humans in various ways.

A GIFT The robotics team from Dr. Yanga’s Colleges, Inc. explain to former governor Chavit Singson (seated, second from left) how the robot elephant works during a press conference at Corinthian Gardens in Quezon City on April 1, 2025. The students made the robot elephant a gift to Singson, who is sponsoring their participation in the First Lego League Open European Championship in Korinthos, Greece, on May 2-4, 2025. PHOTO BY FREDERICK NASIAD

The theme of this year's competition is "Submerged."

Backing the team's stint in Greece is former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson, who introduced the students to the media at his Quezon City residence on Tuesday.

Singson, known for helping cash-strapped boxers and athletes who wanted to compete abroad, agreed to subsidize the team's trip to Greece.

"Gusto kong tulungan ang mga estudyanteng ito na maipakita ang mga gawa nila, baka sakaling mag-champion sila roon, karangalan din ng ating bansa (I want to help these students showcase their works, If they become champions there, it will be an honor to our country)," said Singson, who received a robot elephant as a gift from the team.

Haven Bernardo, the youngest member of the team at 10 years old, said it took them three days to build the robot elephant for Singson.

In Greece, the team will feature a robot, made of acrylic and Lego bricks, that can detect early signs of harmful algae blooms and mitigate its damage to the environment.

The prototype has been tested at the Manila Bay and the waters of Bulacan but the team wanted to bring it to White Beach in Boracay where green algae or moss is a natural occurrence, particularly during summer.

In 2018, Boracay was closed to tourists for six months to address the algae problem and fix the sewage system. Water quality has improved but the algae keeps coming back.

The team is confident their invention can make a difference.

The DYCI Blue Ocean team is composed of programmers Tobias Dalistan, 15, Jewelle Rafa, 17, and Trinity Bautista, 16; builders Gabriel Ortega, 17, Akisha Halili, 11, and Carl Mendoza, 11; and researchers Leslie Guadalupe, 16, and Haven Mauricio, 10. The coaches are Beryl Cruz and Anne Raz.

"For this competition, a team is composed of eight students, actually 10, but we have another competition in Macau that is why I divided the group," said Cruz.

Robotics was first introduced in DYCI in 2008 and two years later, it was integrated into the school's curriculum since 2008.

The inventions and projects of the students, including the 5-foot robot named Metanoia which earned 4th place honors at the 2014 World Robotics Olympiad, are on display at the school's ALAB Interactive Robotics Museum in Bocaue, Bulacan.

"Overall, we have 115 local and international trophies from the robotics competitions since 2009," said Raz, who was part of the DYCI robotics team that won in Indonesia in 2013.

"Actually, we encourage the students in their inventions, like the one we are bringing in Greece, to solve real life problems with real life solutions."

International robotics competitions, Raz said, offer no prize money.

"Only prestige and honor for the school and country," she said.

But Singson promised the team that, win or lose, he will take care of their prize when they come back home.

"Akong bahala sa premyo ninyo (I'll take care of your prize)," the former governor said.

"Sila ang mga dapat nating tulungan. Gusto kong ma-develop ang mga talent nila. Kung hindi natin sila tutulungan, baka kukunin sila ng ibang bansa, lugi na naman tayo (They are the people we should be helping. I wanted their talents to develop. If we don't help them, other nations will get them and we will be on the losing end again)" he added.