ENERO 7 20021
kabuuang 3,000 kg ng milled rice at sari-saring binhi ng gulay ang ipinamigay sa 1,000 families in Ilocos Norte. Ito ay bahagi ng mga tulong ng Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development ng Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) at ng Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU).
Ilan sa mga tinungong munisipyo na nakinabang ay ang Paoay, Sarrat, Marcos, Piddig, Burgos, Pasuquin, Vintar, Banna, Solsona at ang lungsod ng Batac.
Ang inisyatibo ay sinimlan nitong April 20 at natapos nitong June 5, 2020.
Sa pamamagiotan ng ponding buhat sa PCAARRD bumili ang MS ng bigas sa mga farmer cooperators, makakatulong rin ito pang madagdagan ang kikitain ng mga mahirap na pamilya na naapekthan ng COVID-19 sa Ilocos Norte.
Ang mga binhi naman ay ipinagkaloob sa municipalities of Ilocos Norte bilang material para simlan nilang mli ang kanilang mga taniman ng gulay, katiyakang may makakain sa gitna ng enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Ang nasabing inisyatibo ay dulot ng pagtatapos ng proyektong pinondohan ng PCAARRD at inimplimenta ng MSU na may titulong, “Sustaining Crop Productivity in Climate Vulnerable Areas in Ilocos Norte through Science and Technology-Community-Based Farm (STCBF) Project on Climate-Resilient Production Technologies.”
Ang nasabing inisyatibo ay isa lamang sa mga gampanin na natapos bilang pagtulong na mapagaan ang sitwasyon ng lalawigan sa kabila ng kinakaharap na krisis pang kalusugan.
Ang PCAARRD ay isa sa mga sectoral councils ng DOST, na may mandato na lumikha ng mga patakaran, pagpaplano at programa para sa maka agham at teknolohikal na R&D sa ibat ibang sektor sa ilalim ng paggabay nito. Sila ang nagko- coordinate, nag e-evaluate, at nagmo monitor sa mga pambansang R&D efforts ng AANR sector. Sila rin ang nag a-allocate ng government at external funds para sa R&D at naghahanap ng mga mapagkukunan upang masuportahan ang kanilang mga programa. Galing sa mga detalyeng bhat kay Yolanda M. Tanyag, DOST-PCAARRD S&T Media Services./// Michael Balaguer, +639262261791, konekted@diaryongtagalog.net
DOST-PCAARRD rehabilitates TY Rolly and Ulysses-affected regions through S&T
Typhoon is a usual weather phenomenon in the Philippines, averaging 20 in a year (ADRC). Recently, in a span of less than a month (October 23 – November 13, 2020) the country was visited by five typhoons, two of which – Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses, undeniably left parts of the country devastated. Among the several regions affected, Regions V (Bicol Region) and II (Cagayan Valley) were hardly hit.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that the damages brought about by Super Typhoon Rolly was estimated at P12.87 billion in infrastructure, wherein P12.23 billion was attributed from the Bicol Region. In agriculture, the estimated damage was P5 billion affecting 65,897 hectares of agricultural land. There were more than half a million families affected and casualties reported included 25 dead, 399 injured and six missing.
On the other hand, Typhoon Ulysses’ estimated damage in infrastructure was at P12.94 billion, P5 billion of which was incurred in Region II. Damage to agriculture was about P7.32 billion. There were 213 flooding incidents recorded and even after the typhoon some towns remained flooded. The number of families affected reached 1.2 million and casualties were 101 dead, 85 injured, and 10 missing.
In response to the aftermath, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) is funding six S&T based rehabilitation projects for eight provinces in partnership with five state universities – Catanduanes State University (CatSU) for Catanduanes; Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) for Camarines Sur; Bicol University (BU) to cover Albay, Camarines Norte, Masbate, and Sorsogon; Cagayan State University (CSU) for Cagayan Valley; and Isabela State University (ISU) for Isabela. The total budget amounts to P30 million or P5 million each for Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Albay, Isabela, and Cagayan provinces and P5 million combined for Sorsogon, Camarines Norte, and Masbate.
The projects intend to abate the impacts of the abovementioned typhoons in the AANR sector through S&T-based interventions for rehabilitation. Each project will conduct: 1) AANR damage assessment through of survey of actual damage in the target communities and to determine the assistance needed; 2) Procurement and distribution of S&T products and other immediate needs (food packs and hygiene kits) to affected families since nutrition and health are the major concerns during calamities; 3) Assessment of potential future community-based S&T interventions; 4) Capacity building in terms of identified AANR-related technical trainings and stress debriefing to address physical and psychological effects of trauma due to the disaster; 5) Provision of agricultural inputs such as vegetable seeds and other planting materials, and other production inputs; and 6) Distribution of technology guides and other IEC materials.
These projects are under the SAFE Ligtas of the Science and Technology Action Frontline for Emergencies and Hazards (SAFE) Program that addresses post-disaster recovery activities such as rehabilitation of areas affected by natural disasters. SAFE is PCAARRD’s technology transfer modality that addresses social, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change by enhancing resiliency and adaptive capacities of social and natural ecosystems through use of technologies to promote environmental conservation and rehabilitation. SAFE provides S&T-based interventions to prevent or prepare for climate- and environment-related emergencies and hazards (E&H) in the AANR sector. This is PCAARRD’s direct contribution to disaster risk reduction and management as well as post disaster community rehabilitation and reinforcement in the country (Joel Eneristo A. Joven, DOST-PCAARRD S&T Media Services).
Philippines rises to 50th most innovative nation in the 2020 Global Innovation Index
The Philippines moves up four places in the 2020 Global Innovation Index (GII), among the 131 economies in the world. The country improved from its 54th place last year. Among the 29 economies that belong to the lower middle-income countries, the Philippines managed to reach the 4th place and ranks 11th among the 17 economies in South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania. The Philippines performed well along with the innovation achievers like China, Vietnam and India in the overall GII innovation ranking over the given period.
The country’s latest performance in the GII is a testament to its continuous commitment to innovation since 2014 when it ranked 100th place. The Philippines moved up by 50 notches in just 6 years.
DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña, one of the authors featured in the GII 2020, took note of the country’s GII ranking and stated, “The strategy of putting innovation at the center stage of our policy-making initiatives fortified our capacity as a country to be strong, resilient and adaptable to change. Even with the problems brought by COVID-19, we have shown that innovation through R&D is the key to survival and success in the new environment.”
The GII is jointly developed by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. This year, the 13th edition of the GII is themed: “Who Will Finance Innovation?”
The GII has two sub-indices: Innovation Input and Innovation Output. The Philippine ranking in Innovation Input rose to 70 in 2020, from 76 in 2019 and 86 in 2018. This can be attributed to the increasing investment of the government in Research and Development (R&D). The country also improved in Innovation Output scoring at 41 this year compared to 42 and 68 in 2019 and 2018 respectively. The boost can be attributed to the capacity build-up of Science and Technology (S&T) human resource, establishment of innovation facilities such as research centers, advanced laboratories, and networking thereof.
A look at the Global Innovation Index shows the sustained growth of the innovation level of the country. For 2020, the Philippines scored above average in almost all innovation dimensions, a result of various DOST contributions to Inclusive Innovation from Filipinnovation since 2007 where the whole-of-government approach (WOGA) to inclusive innovation was jointly decided by DOST, Department of Trade and Industry, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), together with representatives from the academe, industry and civil society organizations. To further support national development and sustainable economic growth, WOGA is again applied in creating the Philippine Innovation Act in 2019.
The Philippine ranking stands out even against the achievements of high-income economies for the innovativeness of its business sector and investments. The country reached high ranks in Knowledge Absorption at 7th in the world with top marks in high tech imports and research talents.
Since 2007, the DOST-Science Education Institute (SEI) has been implementing two graduate scholarship programs for science and engineering called the Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program (ASTHRDP) and the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT). Starting from just 17 graduates in 2008, DOST-SEI has produced 400 to 500 MS and PhD graduates per year in the last four years. The Balik Scientist Program or BSP is another program that highly contributed to the country’s innovation. This program facilitates Filipino experts working abroad to return to the Philippines and share their expertise with students, teachers and local industry players.
The result of these efforts is evidenced on the country’s innovation profile showing top 25 rankings for indicators such as Graduates in science and engineering, Market capitalization, Research talent in business enterprises and High-technology manufacturing.
The DOST-Science for Change Program (S4CP) took the lead in government programs in funding innovation efforts through massive increase in investments in Science and Technology (S&T) Human Resource and Development (HRD) and Research and Development (R&D) projects. The S4CP sub-program created to accelerate STI in the country to keep up with global developments is known as the Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D Program (NICER) which provides grants to academic institutions in the regions to catalyze and promote regional economic development. As of August 2020, DOST has established 23 NICERs in 16 regions for a total funding of P852 million. The Centers cover the priority areas/commodity/product in Agriculture, Aquatic and Marine, Environment, Industry, Energy, Emerging Technology and Health.
Under the Business Sophistication Pillar, the Philippines also made a significant score in university and industry research collaborations. This can be attributed to another S4C Program dubbed as Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE). The sub-program encourages academe-industry collaborations to conduct research. To date, the program has forged 49 partnerships with P222 million total grants awarded to 32 academe and 50 industry partners. As a continuing initiative, DOST is advocating for the passage of the S4CP Bill in both Houses of Congress. This bill is geared towards further accelerating STI in the country and create a massive increase in investment on S&T Human Resource Development and R&D.
“R&D programs such as Science for Change provides an enabling platform where government, academic, and industry players in the country collectively pursue market-oriented research that directly addresses the needs of specific sectors,” says DOST- Undersecretary for R&D Rowena Cristina L. Guevara. “With the high marks achieved by our country in the latest GII, R&D provides us the opportunity to change and mold the shape of our country’s recovery from the pandemic.”
###