From traffic management to heritage digitization, the program's first year produced prototypes advancing toward deployment and a growing platform — capped by an institution built to outlast its projects. 

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has closed the first year of its Advancing Computing, Analytics, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence in the Philippines (ACABAI-PH) program with AI prototypes advancing toward pilot deployment, more than 400 researchers, government personnel, and MSME practitioners through capacity-building engagements nationwide, and a Philippine presence at international AI forums from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur. 

ACABAI-PH marks its first year across key milestones: the launch of DOST's ELEV8PH R&D Programs at Dusit Thani Manila (5 February 2025); Mus3o and vBANT.AI project exhibits at the NAICRI launch; a Memorandum of Agreement signing with DOST Regional Office XIII (Caraga) at ASTICON 2025; and the vBANT.AI team's field collaboration with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). 

ACABAI-PH is one of DOST's ELEV8PH R&D Programs, focused on building the Philippines' national AI ecosystem. It brings together four agencies — DOST-ASTI as program lead, with DOST-PTRI, DOST-FNRI, and DOST-FPRDI — each developing AI tools aligned with their respective mandates. At the center is  DOST-NAIRA (Nexus for AI Research and Applications), DOST-ASTI's core project under ACABAI-PH, running over three years. 

Year 1 advanced AI research and development components into the prototype stage, setting the course for pilot deployments in Year 2. 

vBANT.AI, developed in collaboration with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), is a computer vision system for adaptive traffic management. Trained on actual Metro Manila traffic footage, vBANT.AI is built to detect and classify vehicle types endemic to Philippine roads — jeepneys, tricycles, motorcycles — and feed real-time counts and analytics into traffic signal systems. Data collection is ongoing at strategic road sites, with deployment coordination advancing with MMDA. When operational, the system would enable more responsive signal management on roads where existing loop detectors have long been blind to motorcycles and tricycles — the vehicles that define Philippine urban traffic. 

Mus3o addresses the quieter challenge of heritage preservation. Using 3D imaging and reconstruction techniques, the system creates high-fidelity digital twins of museum specimens and artifacts — beginning with biological collections from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Museum of Natural History. The goal is to make scientific documentation more accessible to institutions across the country, and to ensure that irreplaceable specimens are preserved in precise digital form against the risks of deterioration, disasters, and limited physical access — opening collections to researchers and educators who may never be able to visit the physical institution. 

Complementing these R&D efforts, DIMER — the Decentralized Intelligent Model Exchange Repository, currently available in public beta — provides access to Filipino-built AI models in areas such as agriculture, disaster risk reduction, and remote sensing. Under ACABAI-PH, DIMER is being developed into a no-code, low-code AI-as-a-Service platform, with an expanded workbench slated to launch in Year 3. iTANONG, DOST-ASTI's generative AI interface, allows users to query government databases in plain language — in English, Filipino, or Taglish — and is designed for secure, on-premises deployment. 

Across partner agencies, the program built momentum in parallel.  DOST-PTRI's TexSCAN is developing computer vision models and a database of fabric samples spanning natural, synthetic, and blended materials — an objective, scalable alternative to manual textile quality assessment — reducing reliance on slow, costly laboratory testing that smaller producers often cannot afford. 

DOST-FNRI's PhilFCT AI deployed cloud infrastructure and began integrating multiple international food composition databases to strengthen the Philippine Food Composition Table — the foundational reference behind the country's dietary guidelines, food labeling, and nutritional research. A more complete database means better-informed nutrition policy and more accurate food information for Filipino consumers. 

DOST-FPRDI, in collaboration with Agritix Sdn. Bhd, is developing an AI-based wood species identification system that can recognize microscopic wood anatomy, equipping forest protection officers with a rapid, field-deployable tool for anti-illegal logging enforcement. 

Capacity building was among the year's most active fronts. DOST-NAIRA conducted more than ten engagements, reaching over 400 researchers, government personnel, and MSME practitioners nationwide — from introductory AI sessions and project ideation workshops in Caraga and across DOST regional offices, to national programs with the Development Academy of the Philippines — building a baseline of AI literacy that government agencies and regional enterprises can draw on as the ecosystem grows. 

The DOST-NAIRA team trains Development Academy of the Philippines facilitators in advanced AI and machine learning at DAP Conference Center, Tagaytay City on 9–13 February 2026 — equipping public sector trainers with the skills to deliver AI capacity building programs across government.

The DOST-NAIRA team facilitates the AI for Additive Manufacturing: ITDI x ASTI Training Workshop at Acacia Hotel Manila, Alabang on 16–20 February 2026, equipping DOST-ITDI Materials Science Division researchers with machine learning, computer vision, and large language model techniques for advanced manufacturing research. 

The project also took its work to international forums. Mr. Elmer C. Peramo, Senior Science Research Specialist and Program Leader of ACABAI-PH, participated in the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 Plenary in Sydney — the world's central platform for AI standardization, convening over 350 delegates from 75 national bodies — where the Philippine delegation engaged in working group sessions and was tasked with reviewing and submitting national positions on two draft international AI standards. Mr. Peramo also attended the UK-ASEAN AI Summit in Malaysia and presented research at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Information and Communication (ICAIIC 2026). 

DOST-NAIRA takes Filipino AI research and perspectives to the global stage — from AI standards working group sessions at the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 Plenary in Sydney (October 2025) and the UK-ASEAN AI Innovation Summit in Kuala Lumpur, to peer-reviewed research presentations at ISMAC 2025 in Bohol and ICAIIC 2026 in Tokyo.

"For years, AI initiatives have existed across government, academe, and industry. Many were technically sound. Some were successful. But too often, they remained siloed — dependent on individual projects, temporary funding, or specific teams," said Dr. Franz A. de Leon, Director IV of DOST-ASTI. "The challenge was never ambition. It was continuity." 

The capstone of Year 1 came on February 26, 2026, with the formal launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation (NAICRI) — the Philippines' first institutional anchor for AI research, advanced computing, and innovation. Established under ACABAI-PH, NAICRI is the institutional answer to the problem Dr. de Leon described — consolidating the country's AI capabilities across computing infrastructure, platforms, research programs, and governance frameworks into a center designed to sustain national AI capacity beyond the lifespan of individual projects.

DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., alongside DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Leah J. Buendia, and DOST-ASTI Director Dr. Franz A. de Leon, formally launches the NAICRI — establishing the Philippines' first institutional anchor for AI research, advanced computing, and innovation under the theme "Intelligence for the Nation, Knowledge for Generation."

"Today, the Philippines makes a deliberate choice: that we will embrace artificial intelligence as a force for development, competitiveness, and progress — guided by our own values," said  DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. at the launch. "Today is not the finish line. It is the starting line." 

In Year 2, ACABAI-PH shifts toward active pilot testing. DOST-NAIRA will advance vBANT.AI and Mus3o into pilots in collaboration with MMDA and UPLB Museum of Natural History. A nationwide online AI training program is in development to extend AI learning beyond in-person venues. The project also aims to grow a community of AI practitioners across government, academe, and the regions, and to open structured pathways for MSMEs through the AIgnite capacity-building pipeline. Looking further ahead, the program is also developing a training-of-trainers track to equip DOST regional partners and institutions to deliver AI capacity building independently — extending reach beyond what a central team can sustain. 

 

About ACABAI-PH 

The Advancing Computing, Analytics, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence in the Philippines (ACABAI-PH) is DOST's flagship program in AI and a centerpiece of the ELEV8PH Big Ticket Initiative. Implemented by DOST-ASTI, DOST-PTRI, DOST-FNRI, and DOST-FPRDI, it builds the Philippines' national AI ecosystem through shared infrastructure, sector-specific research and development, and nationwide capacity building. 

About DOST-NAIRA 

The Nexus for AI Research and Applications (NAIRA) is the core ACABAI-PH project implemented by DOST-ASTI. It develops AI-driven solutions across priority sectors and operates DIMER, DOST-ASTI’s AI model repository currently in public beta and evolving toward full AI-as-a-Service capability. 

About DOST-ASTI 

The Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) is a research and development institute of the Department of Science and Technology with a focus on information and communications technology (ICT) and emerging technologies. It provides high-performance computing, AI research, and digital infrastructure services in support of national science and innovation goals.