09/06/2025
Aviation industry is one of the major causes contributing to the negative impacts to the environment, primarily through climate change and air pollution. So the next time you take that plane ride, hopefully it is one of those that uses the Pili (Nut) Sealβsustainable, environmentally-friendly, part of a circular economy, world-class aviation use standard and proudly Philippine made. π΅ππ³ππ»
π₯πππ: At just 26 years old, Mark Kennedy Bantugon didnβt need to reinvent the sealants and adhesives used in aircraft. But what he did was far more than just an improvement, it was a revolutionary step toward a more sustainable future for the aviation industry.
Bantugon, an aeronautical engineering graduate and the son of a teacher and a farmer, found his breakthrough during an internship at Lufthansa Technik Philippines. There, he witnessed firsthand the health and environmental risks posed by conventional chemical-based sealants and adhesives, products that can irritate the skin and lungs and pose environmental hazards when burned or discarded.
He recalled how, as a child, he tried fixing leaks in their roof using chewing gum. But growing up on a farm, he was familiar with tree resins. He began studying six types of resins from tropical trees and ultimately found that pili resin stood out not only for its effectiveness but also for its pleasant scent.
This led to the creation of Pili Seal, an organic and biodegradable sealant and adhesive designed for aviation use. Itβs safer for humans, environmentally friendly, and meets the high standards for strength, heat resistance, and pressure with potential applications across construction, automotive, marine, and defense industries.
Through this innovation, the Philippines can now make use of an estimated 155 million kilograms of wasted pili resin annually. Pili Seal is not just a technological breakthrough; it also supports the circular economy and contributes to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).
Because of his significant contribution, Bantugon was recognized as one of the Top 10 Innovators for the Young Inventors Prize 2025 by the European Patent Office, a global award that honors inventors under 30 who use technology to tackle global challenges.
Alongside the growing commercialization of Pili Seal, Bantugon is also advocating for sustainable resin harvesting with support from the Department of Science and Technology to ensure the health of pili trees especially in the Bicol region, where they are most abundant. Farmers are being encouraged to plant more pili trees, and Bantugon continues to explore new ways to use other parts of the pili fruit, such as the shell, which is often discarded.
Bantugon is living proof that when intelligence, care for the environment, and love for country come together, one can create solutions that are not only innovative β but also profoundly meaningful on a global scale.
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πππ¦ππππ‘: Sa kanyang edad na 26, hindi na kailangang muling likhain ni Mark Kennedy Bantugon ang sealant at adhesive para sa eroplano. Ngunit ang kanyang ambag ay hindi basta simpleng pagsasaayos, ito ay isang rebolusyonaryong hakbang patungo sa makakalikasang kinabukasan ng industriya ng abyasyon.
Si Bantugon, isang aeronautical engineering graduate, at anak ng isang g**o at magsasaka, ay nagkaroon ng kanyang pagkakataon habang nasa internship sa Lufthansa Technik Philippines. Sa nasabing kumpanya, nasaksihan niya ang panganib ng mga karaniwang ginagamit na chemical-based sealants at adhesives na maaaring magdulot ng iritasyon sa balat at baga, at banta rin sa kalikasan kapag itinapon o sinunog.
Naalala niya ang kabataang pagsubok na ayusin ang tagas ng bubong gamit ang chewing gum. Ngunit bilang anak ng magsasaka, pamilyar siya sa mga dagta ng puno. Sinubukan niyang pag-aralan ang anim na klase ng dagta mula sa mga punong tropikal, at sa huli, ang pili resin ang pinakanamukod-tangi, hindi lang dahil sa bisa nito kundi pati na rin sa mabangong amoy.
Dito isinilang ang βPili Sealβ na isang organic at biodegradable na sealant at adhesive para sa eroplano, ligtas gamitin ng tao, at hindi nakakasama sa kapaligiran. Ang produkto ay hindi lamang nakapasa sa matataas na pamantayan ng tibay, init, at pressure, ito rin ay may potensyal sa iba pang larangan gaya ng konstruksyon, automotive, marine, at depensa.
Sa pamamagitan ng inobasyong ito, napapakinabangan ang halos 155 million na kilo ng resin waste mula sa pili na taun-taong nasasayang sa Pilipinas. Kaya't ang Pili Seal ay hindi lang teknolohiyang pambansa, kundi ambag din sa circular economy at sa layunin ng United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 o ang Innovation, Infrastructure, and Industry.
Bunga ng kanyang makabuluhang kontribusyon, kinilala si Bantugon bilang isa sa βTop 10 Innovatorsβ para sa Young Inventors Prize 2025 ng European Patent Office na isang pandaigdigang parangal para sa mga imbentor na wala pang 30 taong gulang na gumagamit ng teknolohiya upang harapin ang mga global na hamon.
Ngayon, kasabay ng patuloy na komersyalisasyon ng Pili Seal, isinusulong rin ni Bantugon ang tamang pagkuha ng resin sa tulong ng Department of Science and Technology upang mapanatili ang kalusugan ng mga punong pili, lalo na sa Bicol kung saan sagana ang mga ito. Hinihikayat din ang mga magsasaka na magtanim ng mas maraming pili, at patuloy siyang nag-iisip ng mga paraan upang magamit pa ang iba pang bahagi ng pili gaya ng shell na kadalasang itinatapon.
Si Bantugon ay patunay na kapag pinagsama ang katalinuhan, malasakit sa kalikasan, at pagmamahal sa bayan kayang lumikha ng solusyon na hindi lang pambihira, kundi tunay na makabuluhan para sa buong mundo.
