As President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited the renovated grounds of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) on August 15, 2025, in San Narciso, Zambales, the critical importance of homegrown technology in the defense of national sovereignty came into sharp relief. At the forefront was Quanby Solutions, Inc., a homegrown innovator whose world-class drone technology and expert training programs are now a mainstay of the upgraded maritime security program of the academy.
The presidential visit, focusing on enhancing the country's maritime force in light of current challenges in the West Philippine Sea, manifested the strong outcome of public-private partnership.
Its topmost management group, composed of Chief Executive Officer Maria Crisma Maxwell and Chief Technical Officer Michael Maxwell, were present to personally exhibit their tools to the Commander-in-Chief. Engineers Kenneth Aycardo and Lance Borrero accompanied them to operationalize the state-of-the-art technology.
Quanby's contribution goes straight to addressing one of the major needs for increased domain knowledge. Their drones offer eyes in the sky - real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities that effectively complement other systems. This enables better monitoring of strategic waters, detection of possible threats, and security for ships traveling through high-risk areas.
In equipping and training the PMMA directly, Quanby Solutions, Inc. is contributing in a vital way to both technological competence and academic leadership, so that the Philippines is able to assert confidently its role and defend its interests within its maritime sphere of influence.