A group of high school students from Manaoag National High School in Pangasinan brought the Philippines into the winner’s circle at one of the world’s largest student robotics competitions, securing two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze at the Minoan Robotsports Competition Global Olympiad held in Crete, Greece from April 3 to 6, 2026.
The event drew more than 2,200 participants from 56 countries spanning Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia — a scale that underscores the weight of the Philippine team’s performance among the world’s top student robotics programs.
Competing under the banner of the Erovoutika International Academy and guided by overall coach Engr. Dominik Niño, the Filipino students claimed gold in both the E-Soccerbot and E-SumoBot competitions. They followed those victories with a second-place finish in the Humanoid Wrestling Competition and a third-place result in Archery.
Among the six student competitors who represented the country were Jesfree R. Soriano, Joeshel T. Caspillan, Warlito P. Gacusan Jr., Brendon Ryan B. Esteves, Josh Andrei Q. Mendoza, and Leo Jake D. Wania.
The robots used in competition — the E-Soccerbot, E-SumoBot, and ArchEbot — were all Philippine-made machines developed under the Erovoutika brand, marking a rare instance of locally engineered robotics being showcased at a major European competition.
School-based coaches Hazel Elaine C. Armas and Vergil B. Esteves supported the team alongside Head Teacher Manuel Jaime U. Vinuya and School Head Daisy S. Mayola. At the division level, the delegation was backed by Education Program Supervisor Eddie M. Raguindin and Schools Division Superintendent Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan.
The team received institutional support from the Philippine Manufacturing Co. of Murata, Inc. and the DOST Technology Application and Promotion Institute, both of which helped make the delegation’s international participation possible.
