Cebuano applies for patent of his fuel-saving invention

CEBU, Philippines - A Cebuano mechanical engineer, who recently won labor case against his former workplace, has invented a power booster and fuel-saving device.

Engr. Joselito Arenas now has a pending application for patent for his invention before the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL).

 His application was endorsed by Gregorio Escario, president of the Cebu Institute of Technology - University (CIT-U) where Arenas finished his degree.

CIT-U's Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) of CIT-U has been helping Arenas on his patent application.

 Arenas already conducted a demonstration of the device on motorcycles and vehicles of some Cebu media members, but he refused to give the details of his apparatus pending approval of his patent application.

 He only said that the invention follows Faraday's Law and employs the essential task of firing the sparkplugs to ignite the gasoline-air mixture that fuels vehicles.

Arenas had just won his labor case against East Asia Utilities Corporation at the Mactan Export Processing Zone I before the Court of Appeals.

He is now waiting for the labor arbiter to compute his separation pay, back wages, and other monetary awards, as ordered by the court.

The CA had earlier overturned a National Labor Relations Commission decision dismissing Arenas and ordered the company to pay him a separation pay equivalent to a one-month salary for every year of service. 

He was not reinstated "due to strained relationship of parties."

Arenas used to work as shift engineer of the said company from April 4, 1994 until his dismissal on Sept. 2, 2010.

He was accused of fraud or willful breach of trust for not immediately reporting a thief caught cutting a scrapped retainer ring on Aug. 3, 2010.  (FREEMAN)