FOUR senior high school students from Kapalong National High School in Davao del Norte made a game-changing tech innovation with “Deafy,” a mobile application designed to bridge communication gaps for the deaf community. The project earned them a spot in the Giga phase—the final round—of PLDT and Smart’s Innovation Generation Season 4 (InnoGen 4), where they have the chance to bring home a top award.
Jhydd Mahinay, Prince Eco Barlisan, Marvin Jhon Alegario, and Floyd Karlo Ganza began working on the app by balancing schoolwork and an ambition far beyond the usual expectations of high school life.
“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.”
Of the three concepts, it was Deafy—an app capable of converting sign language to text and speech, and translating spoken words to text for deaf users in real time—that advanced to the high-stakes final round.
“Our mentor suggested the project,” Mahinay added. “She shared that it was difficult to converse with a hearing-impaired student because she didn’t know Filipino Sign Language.”
But while the concept was compelling, the team confronted an immediate challenge: none of them had any background in programming. At Kapalong National High School, a scenario familiar to many public schools, computer programming is not part of the curriculum.
Barlisan, who took on the role of lead developer, had to learn everything from the ground up.
“I had to pick up programming right away, on top of everything else I was juggling,” he said. “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.”
Their resourcefulness paid off. The initial version of the app showed strong potential, but feedback during the mentorship phase pushed the team to refine Deafy further. Ervir Cabiling, Senior Solutions Architect Supervisor at Smart’s Network Strategy & Transformation Office, encouraged them to integrate artificial intelligence.
“We tried it and it was very helpful in detecting hand gestures,” Mahinay said. The team later added tutorial videos to help users learn sign language, enhancing the app’s usability both for deaf individuals and those seeking to communicate with them better.
When the team presented Deafy to school officials during beta testing—including their principal, the head of the Special Needs Education (SNED) program, and several master teachers—the reaction was one of immediate awe, signaling just how impactful the tool could become in real-world settings.
That reception carried over to InnoGen 4’s Demo Day, where Deafy impressed judges and secured the award for “The Real MVP” among senior high school entries. The recognition is reserved for the most groundbreaking solution demonstrating long-term community benefit, aligned with the season’s focus on inclusivity, sustainability, and scalability.
“Innovation Generation provides a platform for young innovators to create impactful, lasting tech-powered solutions for their communities,” said Stephanie 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.”
Innovation Generation Season 4, launched in partnership with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), carried the theme “Innovation for All.” The initiative aims to empower persons with disabilities through technology and inclusive design thinking.
InnoGen forms part of PLDT and Smart’s broader commitment to meaningful innovation and to advancing UNSDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. By supporting projects like Deafy and enabling more youth-driven solutions for accessibility, the program contributes to the Philippines’ vision of an inclusive and sustainable ASEAN future.
For the Kapalong team, the recognition is only the beginning—but Deafy already stands as proof of what young innovators can achieve when passion meets purpose, even in the face of limited resources.