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ADDU Entrepreneurship Students Earn Regional Honors in Startup, Agribusiness Contests

Ateneo de Davao University, through the School of Business and Governance (SBG), celebrates the top finishes of its Entrepreneurship students in two regional competitions, reflecting their creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial drive.
Azolife takes first place in regional startup pitching
Azolife Integrated Bioplastic Bags won First Place in the 2nd Regional Start-Up Pitching Competition, organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region XI. The contest was part of the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) 2026, held on October 15 to 17, 2026, at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City.
The startup was developed this school year through the Business Implementation component of the Entrepreneurship Program, demonstrating the commitment of students in building sustainable, innovative business solutions. The team is composed of enterprise owner Kuiper Von Leybag and members Mickyla Loriene Almadin and Neyza Hope Indonto.
Garden Crispies places in the top 3 in the Young Farmers Challenge
Ms. Rhouzelyhne Rapha R. Arreza, a sophomore Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship student majoring in Agribusiness, placed in the Top 3 of the Upscale Category at the regional level of the Young Farmers Challenge 2026. Her venture, Garden Crispies, was also awarded ₱300,000 in grant support, which will help her further develop and grow the enterprise.
Turning ideas into viable ventures
Together, the two achievements show how ADDU Entrepreneurship students can turn innovative ideas into viable businesses.
Azolife highlights the promise of sustainable alternatives in business, while Garden Crispies reflects the ingenuity of young agripreneurs advancing agricultural entrepreneurship.
The Ateneo de Davao community congratulates the Azolife Integrated Bioplastic Bags team and Ms. Arreza on their well-deserved recognition.
Their success underscores the value of entrepreneurial learning in fostering innovation, building sustainable enterprises, and contributing meaningfully to communities and industries.

ADDU Welcomes 8 New Registered Chemists with 88.89% Passing Rate

Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) recorded an 88.89% passing rate in the October 2026 Chemists Computer-Based Licensure Examination (ChLE), producing eight new Registered Chemists and placing well above the national passing rate of 76.36%.
The figures come from the official results released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). The University’s 88.89% passing rate exceeded the national benchmark by more than twelve percentage points, a result that reflects the strength of its chemistry program and the preparation of its examinees.
The newest batch of Registered Chemists from ADDU
The University congratulates its newest Registered Chemists: Jean Karla Genayas Baiño, Cassandra Gail Abundo Capul, Joules Acre Figuracion Lao, Geisha Maw Segovia Papellero, Virliane Faith Nebran Quimsing, Christian Nicholas Vicada Rubante, Jean-Dave Almoore Saromines Tancinco, and Sharmaine Andrea Petilla Valenzona.
A shared success
The University credited the milestone to the leadership and guidance of the School of Arts and Sciences and its Department of Chemistry. Dr. Nelly Z. Limbadan, RPsy, RPm, CSCLP, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Agnes T. Aranas, Assistant Dean of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Cluster, and Dr. Joval C. Afalla, Chairperson of the Department of Chemistry, were among those acknowledged for their support of the examinees.
The University likewise recognized the faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Chemistry, whose collective efforts contributed to the result.

ADDU Ranks No. 1 in Davao Region in Sept 2026 Social Work Licensure Exam

Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) ranked first in the Davao Region in the September 2026 Social Workers Licensure Examination (SWLE), earning recognition as a Top Performing School among institutions with 10 to 50 examinees and a passing rate of 100%.
The School of Arts and Sciences, through its Department of Social Work, produced 18 new licensed social workers after every examinee from ADDU passed. That is a 100% passing rate, compared with a national passing rate of about 76.27%, as 8,383 of 10,991 examinees passed.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board for Social Workers administered the examination from 9 to 11 September 2026, in testing centers across the country, including Davao, with results released on September 16. Among schools with 10 to 50 examinees, ADDU’s 18 of 18 passers placed it among the institutions that cleared every one of their takers.
The result adds to the Social Work Department’s record in the licensure examination. The program has built a track record of producing licensed professionals from Mindanao for the field.
The University extended its gratitude to School of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Nelly Z. Limbadan, RPsy, RPm, CSCLP; Social Sciences Cluster Assistant Dean Dr. Jerome A. Serrano; and Social Work Department Chairperson Dr. Leah Mae Jabilles-Evasco. The community also thanked the faculty, staff, and students whose guidance and support made the milestone possible.

Ateneo de Davao Bags Top Awards at RSTW, Handa Pilipinas 2026

The Ateneo de Davao University community earned top recognitions at the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) and Handa Pilipinas 2026, held from 15 to 17 October 2026 at the SMX Convention Center, Davao City.
The honors were shared by the School of Business and Governance (SBG), the ADDVentures Innovation Center, and the Robotics Engineering Department.
Startups take first and third place
At the 2nd Startup Pitching Competition: Innovation to Impact, held in collaboration with SBG, ADDVentures startup incubatees Azolife and BantayAni placed First and Third, respectively.
Organized by the Department of Science and Technology – Davao Region (DOST XI) as part of RSTW, the competition gives founders from recognized Technology Business Incubators a stage to pitch scalable, science-based solutions to regional concerns.
Azolife, represented by Kuiper Von Powell Leybag, took First Place. According to the ADDVentures Innovation Center, the venture makes affordable, customizable bioplastic bags from Azolla, a fast-growing aquatic plant that does not compete with food crops, helping small businesses shift away from plastic in line with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003).
BantayAni, represented by Romar Izzy Flestado, Ricky Rodrigo, Jr., and Stephen Dominic Lim, took Third Place. ADDVentures describes it as a satellite- and AI-driven platform that gives Municipal Agricultural Officers early warnings of crop stress and speeds up crop insurance verification, cutting payout waiting time from over 20 days to around two.
Youth excellence in science awardees
Four Ateneo students were named Youth Excellence in Science (YES) Awardees of DOST XI: Gerolfein Sitchon, Nicolo Emyr Fabila, Jesse Ender Aclan, and Equiezha Gwenaelle Tidor.
Conferred by the DOST Science Education Institute, the YES medal recognizes outstanding young Filipinos as emerging leaders and advocates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Best booth and a leadership plaque
ADDVentures and the Robotics Engineering Department also earned Third Place for Best Booth. Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, Director of the ADDVentures Innovation Center, received a Plaque of Recognition as a Philippine Science and Technology Development Lead 2026.
About the event
Held annually under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) showcases homegrown innovations and success stories, giving the public a chance to experience Filipino science and technology firsthand.
Running alongside it, Handa Pilipinas is DOST’s disaster risk reduction and management exposition, which promotes public awareness and the wider use of DOST-developed technologies for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Ateneo de Davao and DurianPy Seal Partnership at PyCon Davao 2026

Ateneo de Davao University and DurianPy formalized their partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing on 17 October 2026, held alongside PyCon Davao 2026 at the University’s Finster Auditorium.
Signing for the University were Fr. Karel S. San Juan, SJ, University President, and Dr. Oneil B. Victoriano, Assistant Dean of the Computer Studies Cluster. DurianPy was represented by its User Group Lead, Mr. Arnel Jan Sarmiento, together with PyCon Davao 2026 Lead Organizers Ms. Alyssa Mhie Matila and Ms. Nica Zoe Dable.
A gathering of Davao’s tech community
Held under the theme “Paglantaw: Envisioning the Future through Python,” PyCon Davao 2026 brought together developers, students, educators, founders, and technology enthusiasts. Ms. Dable opened the program with her remarks as Lead Organizer.
The two-day event is DurianPy’s second full-scale conference. The first day featured keynotes, talks, panel discussions, and workshops, while the second was devoted to a sprint day of open-source contributions and mentor-led sessions. It follows the 2025 edition, which marked the first full-scale Python conference in the Davao Region.
DurianPy is a Python user group recognized by the Python Software Foundation and has served the city’s community of Python developers since 2014. Through regular meetups, workshops, and events, it works to strengthen the region’s growing tech ecosystem. Ateneo de Davao served as venue partner and co-presenter of this year’s conference.
Strengthening ties with industry
The agreement supports the Computer Studies Cluster’s vision of connecting faculty, staff, and students with the information technology industry and the wider developer community. It opens opportunities for academic enrichment, mentoring, collaborative projects, certifications, and the continued development of faculty and students.
The signing builds on an existing relationship between the two groups. ADDVentures, the University’s startup incubator, is already among DurianPy’s community partners.

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