Muli na namang ginanap ang Media Seminar ng Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST PAGASA) para sa mga mamamahayag ng National Capital Region nitong Ika 29 at 30 ng Hulyo 2021 via Zoom.
Sa kabila ng abalang mga iskedyul ng maraming mamamahayag ay nagawan nila ng paraan na makadalo sa isang napakahalagang webinar na nitong mga nakaraang taon bago mag pandemya ay ginaganap ng face to face at umaabot ng isa hanggang tatlong araw.
Isang paraan ito upang mailapit sa mga mamamahayag ang mga produkto at serbisyo ng PAGASA na lubhang mahalaga sapagkat maaring makapag ligtas ng buhay at ari arian at maaring maturuan ang mga tao sa mga nararapat gawin pagdating ng kalamidad.
Bagamat lubhang napakahirap ng signal ng internet dahil sa natyempuhang masama ang panahon nang ganapin ang dalawang araw na webinar naging matagumpay pa rin ito at naisakatuparan ng mga taga PAGASA ang layuning ibahagi sa mga mamamahayag ang mga produkto at serbisyo ng ahensya.
Sa mga nakibahaging mamamahayag buhat sa telebisyon, radio, pahayagan at online press maging mga bloggers marami sa kanila ang mga baguhan o yaong ngayon lamang nakadalo sa taunang aktibidad na ito ng PAGASA kaya masasabing sila ay ang mga “bagong tagapag ulat ng panahon”.
Hindi sila mga meteorologist o weather forecasters bagkus mga bagong kabalikat ng ahensya sa tamang pagbabalita ukol sa kalagayan ng panahon samantala dumalo rin naman ang mga dati na at palaging kabilang sa mga nagkokober ng agham sa nasabing webinar.
Kabilang sa mga dumalo ay sina DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Pena, Dr. Landrico Dalida Jr. ng PAGASA, Bernard Punzalan ng PAGASA, Jose Daniel Suarez ng PAGASA, Melanie Aquino ng PAGASA, at dating PAGASA Administrator Dr. Nathaniel Servando.///Michael Balaguer, 09333816694, michaelbalaguer@yahoo.co.uk , konekted@diaryongtagalog.net
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DOST-PTRI develops 4 new silkworm hybrids,
partners with silk hubs in Mindanao
Figure 1. New Philippine silkworm hybrids
Four new Philippine silkworm hybrids namely PTRI SW 107, 108, 109, and 110 have been successfully reared by the pioneering Silk Cocoon Production Hubs (Silk Hubs) in Misamis Oriental through the Silk Research and Innovation Center (SRIC) of the Philippine Textile Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PTRI).
The presence of various hybrid silkworms means new strains of cocoon production for silk yarns and fabrics. As compared to the parent lines, these hybrids have higher productivity as they are mostly healthier, able to adapt to their environment, and have better cocoon and shell weight.
These silkworm hybrids came from the silk hybridization of Philippine Silkworm parent lines from the 85 lines in the PTRI Silk Germplasm also from the DOST-PTRI SRIC. Significantly, these performed better in terms of larval characteristics to cocoon properties in the lab-scale trials, that is why they were rolled out into the Silk Hubs to verify their performances.
The hybrids completed the first out of three cycles of rearing in the field-verification stage. These cycles are important in order to have reliable data as to the consistency, grading, and classification of cocoons per location at different times. To classify the grade of silk cocoons, there are parameters considered, namely: single cocoon weight, cocoon shell percentage, and the live pupa ratio. These will be the basis for cocoons to be graded as Class AA, A, B, or C.
Figure 2. 1st batch of trainees during cocoon classification
For the first cycle, the group of women-silk rearers under CDORSHP-IV produced cocoons with 21% cocoon shell percentage and 1.62 g average cocoon weight. With only two parameters considered, it could have been classified as Class A, with the highest class of cocoon. However, the third parameter being the live pupae percentage, unfortunately dragged the rating to Class B. Considering that these Silk Hubs have just started, their succeeding live pupae percentage is expected to improve with proper management and experience. Grade A cocoons can be sold at P350/kg, while Grade AA will cost P400/kg, thus providing a mechanism to foster good rearing practices to maximize cocoon quality and productivity.
There will be two more rearing activities in 2021 using the same hybrids in the same locations that will provide additional information on the effect of the rearing climate. These will complete the field-verification activity before the hybrids are officially launched for commercial use by the end of the year.
Figure 3. 5th batch of trainees during feeding
The pioneering Silk Hubs are: 1) Tinipigan Agro-forestry Association, Inc. (TAFA Inc.) in Barangay Tagpangi, and 2) Cagayan de Oro (CDO) Resettlement and Socialized Housing Project IV (CDORSHP-IV) in Barangay Balubal. These groups were joined by two other hubs manned by two silk cocoon producers, 3) Florisa Docuyan of Barangay Ane-i and 4) Alfredo A. Ampo of Barangay Panampan (1,000 masl). The control set was reared at the PhilSilk Center serving as the fifth location. Generally, they are located in four different locations in Northern Mindanao, specifically in Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental. These locations established the performance of the hybrids as a function of altitude.
The silk innovation activities in Northern Mindanao are supported by the strong partnership of DOST-PTRI with the DOST-Misamis Oriental, Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRO) Misamis Oriental, and CDO City Housing Urban Development Division of the CDO local government.
For more information and updates on the silk program and other activities, kindly email us at sedapilipinas.ptri.dost@gmail.com.
DOST-SEI, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation link up
for youth innovation plum
Partnership sealed. Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) signed a partnership deal with the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) for the 4th imake.wemake project via a virtual ceremony held on July 30. In the photo are GBF Executive Director, Grace Colet; GBF Program Head, Graciela Mendoza; SEI Director, Dr. Josette Biyo; and SEI Division Chief, Dr. Ruby Cristobal.
The imake.wemake: create. innovate. collaborate. competition had hailed nine—soon to be 12—Youth Innovation Prize (YIP) Awardees out of around 200 promising idea pitches since 2016. But for folks at the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), the competition is still bound to get bigger and better.
That is because of the entry of Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) as partner for the youth competition, which DOST-SEI describes as a “rightful collaboration” given the two parties’ common goals.
The GBF, which is under the Filipino conglomerate JG Summit Holdings, Inc., works toward the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, very much like DOST-SEI, the S&T human resources development arm of the government.
In a virtual Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing, GBF Executive Director Grace Colet expressed excitement in the partnership with how “there’s so much shared” in what both parties want to achieve.
“One of the unique and powerful statements of our Foundation is our sole focus on one advocacy, which is education, particularly STEM education. We are putting all stakes in education with the firm conviction that this is the best way for us to develop as a nation,” said Colet.
She added that GBF’s purpose is to prepare Filipino learners to be digitally-adept workers, critical thinkers, and innovative problem-solvers who can contribute to the growth of their communities.
“When we learned about the goals of the competition, it became evident to us how there was so much shared in what we want to achieve. Knowing these goals, the nationwide reach of this competition, and the rigorous selection undertaken to choose the final winners, it is indeed a privilege that with this partnership, we have the honor to select the 2021 GBF Young Scientist Awardees (YSA) from them,” the Executive Director said.
With the partnership, the Foundation will select three (3) GBF Young Scientist Awardees from the finalists of the ongoing 4th imake.wemake competition. The Awardees will receive conditional scholarship offers amounting to Php 85,000 per academic year courtesy of GBF. This is on top of the three (3) YIP Awards and the associated Php 200,000 cash prize that DOST-SEI will bestow to the teams with the best innovations.
“We aim to fully support our young scientists’ passion for applied scientific research and innovation, and their drive to serve our communities through a college scholarship grant for their chosen STEM courses. We will also be providing mentoring, training, and other immersion opportunities to enhance and elevate their STEM expertise with the help of our academic partners and business unit partners,” bared Colet.
DOST-SEI Director, Dr. Josette Biyo, in turn thanked GBF for the generous support to the project.
“We are very happy of GBF’s desire to partner with us because of our shared vision of improving Filipino lives through STEM. We look forward to more collaborations not just with imake.wemake project but in our many other line-up of programs. We highly appreciate your help,” said Biyo.
The 4th imake.wemake is set to conduct the Final Project Presentations on Aug. 25-26, and the Awarding Ceremony on Aug. 27 all through a virtual event. (30)