He was considered a world-renowned Filipino pioneer in the global tech industry. Diosdado “Dado” Banatao’s success story was nothing short of remarkable. A humble kid from Cagayan Valley who once walked to school barefoot, he made it to Silicon Valley, the world’s leading hub for technology and innovation.
PHOTO/S: Rey Banatao via Facebook
Pumanaw na ang respetadong Filipino tech and design engineer, entrepreneur, at philantropist na si Diosdado “Dado” Banatao. Siya ay 79 anyos.
Ang kanyang pagkamatay ay kinumpirma ng kanyang anak na si Rey Banatao sa isang Facebook post kahapon, Sabado, December 26, 2025.
Namatay si Dado sa Stanford, California, USA, kung saan siya naka-base kasama ang pamilya.
Payapa raw siyang pumanaw, at napapalibutan ng kanyang pamilya at mga kaibigan.
“He was 5 months shy of his 80th birthday, and ultimately succumbed to complications from a neurological disorder that hit him late in his life,” parte ng post ni Rey.
Nagpasalamat ang naiwang pamilya ni Dado sa mga nagpadala ng mga mensahe ng pakikiramay at mga dasal.
Si Dado ay tinaguriang isa sa most influential Filipino figures sa global technology.
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WHO IS DADO BANATAO?
Isang self-made man si Dado, na isinilang noong May 23, 1946, sa Iguig, Cagayan Valley.
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Anak ng isang magsasaka at isang housekeeper, naglalakad siya noon nang nakayapak kapag pumapasok sa Malabbac Elementary School.
Diosdado “Dado” Banatao came from humble beginnings. He was the son of a farmer and a housekeeper. Later on, he became a respected tech engineer in Silicon Valley in the U.S.
Photo/s: Philippine Post Office via YouTube
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Filipino engineer
Diosdado Banatao
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Sa high school, nag-aral siya sa Ateneo de Tuguegarao.
Sa college, nagtapos siya bilang cum laude sa kursong Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering sa Mapua Institute of Technology.
Panandaliang nagtrabaho si Dado sa Meralco bago nag-training sa pagpipiloto sa Philippine Airlines, ayon sa Newsbytes.ph article.
Pumunta siya sa U.S. at naging design engineer sa Boeing 747 program.
Natapos niya ang kanyang Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science sa Stanford University noong 1972.
Dito niya nakadaupang palad sina Steve Jobs at Steve Wozniak nang sumali siya sa Homebrew Computer Club.
Sina Jobs at Wozniak ang dalawang computer pioneers at co-founders ng Apple Inc.
Ang Homebrew Computer Club, na itinayo noong 1970s, ay may reputasyong grupo ng electronics hobbyists and enthusiasts sa Silicon Valley at sinasabing shapers ng tech industry.
Ang Silicon Valley naman ay kilala bilang world’s leading hub for technology and innovation. Nandirito ang mga kilalang high-tech corporations.
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Si Dado ay nakapagtrabaho sa ilang major technology firms sa U.S.
Nabigyan siya ng Honorary Doctorate Degree ng University of the Philippines noong 2000.
Noong 2001, naitampok siya bilang isa sa 10 Living Legends na World Renowned Filipinos ng Philippine Postal Corporation.
Inilagay ang kanyang mukha sa isa sa stamps ng Pilipinas dahil sa kanyang kontribusyon sa science and technology.
Nag-post din ng tribute kay Dado si former Finance secretary Cesar Purisima via Facebook nitong Biyernes.
“Dado’s journey to #SiliconValley became one of the most inspiring #filipino success stories on the global stage.”
Inisa-isa ni Purisima ang naging kontribusyon ni Dado sa global scale.
“Dado helped shape the modern #personalcomputer.
“He was behind groundbreaking semiconductor innovations, including the first 10-Mbit Ethernet CMOS chip, the system logic chipsets for the IBM PC-XT and PC-AT, the first graphics accelerator chip, and the pioneering local bus architecture, technologies that became foundational to today’s computing industry.
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“He co-founded influential Silicon Valley companies such as Mostron, Chips & Technologies, and S3 Graphics, and later established Tallwood Venture Capital, continuing to support innovation at the highest levels.”
Ang isa sa kanyang startup businesses, ang Chips and Technologies (1985), ay naging key supplier ng PC chipsets at binili ng Intel sa halagang $300 million, ulat ng newsbytes.ph.
Sa Philippine landscape, itinayo ni Dado ang Asian Institute of Management-Dado Banatao Incubator (AIM-DBI) noong 2017, na ang goal ay magbigay ng structured support programs para sa startup entrepreneurs.
Pagdedetalye pa ni Purisima, naging aktibo rin si Dado sa pagkakawanggawa sa kanyang mga kababayan sa kabila ng tagumpay sa ibang bansa.
Si Dado at kanyang asawang si Maria Banatao ay nagtayo ng mga foundations para sa edukasyon ng mga karapat-dapat na mga kabataan.
Ani Purisima: “Together with his wife Maria, he was the heart and soul of the #PhilDevFoundation and the Dado Banatao Educational Foundation, championing education, access, and opportunity for Filipino students and future innovators.
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“He provided scholarships, supported #STEM education, and built a modern computer center in his childhood school so future generations could dream bigger than he once did.
“He and Maria funded #CITRIS and the #BanataoInstitute at the University of California Berkeley, a research center focused on creating IT solutions that generate societal and economic benefits for everyone.”
Dado said in a 2021 feature video that his goal in life was to make other’s lives better.
Photo/s: Philippine Post Office via YouTube
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DADO’S LEGACY
Ani Dado, ang pagtulong sa ibang tao ang layunin niya sa buhay.
“My goal is always to make people’s lives better,” aniya sa Philippine Post Office YouTube video noong December 1, 2021.
Inilarawan siya sa video bilang “tech entrepreneur, design engineer, venture capitalist, philanthropist.”
Pagdating sa kanyang naging kontribusyon, sabi ni Dado: “I can also say that my accomplishments truly had a positive impact from global industries and economies.”
Ayon pa sa kanya, naging pambihira ang kanyang success story dahil nagsimula siya sa wala: walang pera, walang kapangyarihan, walang impluwensiya.
Ang batang dating naglalakad nang nakayapak papunta sa paaralan ay nagawang maging respected Filipino figure sa larangan ng science and technology.
“My journey from Cagayan Valley to Silicon Valley is arguably remarkable because I did not inherit wealth, land, or business.
“Neither did I accomplish it through social media or political connections,” paliwanag ni Dado sa video.
“I achieved my success through the use of my own intellectual capacity and through strong values of hard work, perseverance instilled by my parents who lived by the soil.”
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“I’m very passionate about helping my country, the Philippines because my being a person was defined here.
“I truly believe that my story could be your story.”
