DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Week 42 Report (as of January 15, 2021)

HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The DOST interventions to address the COVID-19 pandemic, help rebuild the
economy, and respond to pressing concerns through science, technology and
innovations have been highlighted by a number of accomplishments, such as the
following:

KALUSUGAN:

1. DOST Regional Offices prepare for deployment of RxBox units for

telemetry monitoring
With a total of 368 devices delivered to regions NCR, VII, IV-A, III, XI, VIII, and
UP-PGH, the DOST Regional Offices are now preparing for pre-deployment
activities such as coordinating agreements with beneficiaries and logistical
preparations in preparation to the deployment and training. In addition, out of the
244 units newly inspected, 120 units have passed based on the results of the
inspection findings submitted to DOST-CALABARZON, UP, and Ionics.

DOST-CALABARZON presented the accomplishments and status of the RxBox

during the 109th PCHRD Governing Council meeting on projects in relation to the
COVID-19 response held last January 7, 2021. A Zoom meeting with UP, DOST
Regional Offices, and Ionics was conducted last January 11 to discuss
clarifications on the endorsed Clinical Acceptance Test (CAT) procedures.

2. Updates on WHO Solidarity Trials on Vaccines

The Philippine team is currently recruiting the additional personnel needed,
preparing the sites, and coordinating with relevant government agencies and
LGUs, pending release of final detailed SOPs and protocol from WHO. The
President also approved the request for additional funding to respond to the
request of WHO for the Philippines to expand the trial in the essence of the study
objectives to conduct a rapid, community-based enrollment in hotspot areas. The
DBM is currently processing the release of said funds to DOST.

KABUHAYAN
3. DOST-CAR provides assistance to four MSMEs thru SETUP
The DOST-CAR thru its PSTC-Benguet signed a Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) with three manufacturing firms from the City of Baguio, namely MAKK
Builders, GQB Apparels, and Chokkos Bakeshop for the implementation of the
approved Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP)
interventions. The MOA signing was conducted on January 8, 2021 at the PSTC-
Benguet, Gov. Pack Road, Baguio City.

The three (3) projects will be funded under the CY 2021 SETUP Fund with a total
funding requirement of PhP 3,197,446.25. Likewise, the projects aim to enhance
the production efficiency of the MSMEs through the provision of equipment and

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 other applicable technical assistance such as trainings, packaging and labeling
and laboratory analyses.

Meanwhile, the delivery of One-unit Double Head Seamless machine to Kimro’s

Iron Works, a SETUP beneficiary in CY 2020 was finally completed on January 8,
2020 after the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm is involved in
the production and installation of uPVC windows, doors and other building
components made of uPVC.

4. DOST-X provides S&T livelihood, health and nutrition assistance to

Indigenous Peoples (IP) Community in Cauyunan, Opol, Misamis Oriental
The lives of the IPs in the depressed barangay of Cauyunan, Opol, Misamis
Oriental are expected to be transformed through the S&T interventions provided
by the DOST-X through its Community Empowerment thru Science and
Technology (CEST) program. On 7 January 2021, the said IP community,
through its local government unit, received S&T assistance amounting to
Php550,000.00 as support for the development of a sericulture farm and the
establishment of a banana food processing facility in the area. The banana
processing facility and the sericulture project are aimed at eradicating hunger and
poverty in the community. The banana processing facility is a support to the
existing 100 hectares of banana plantation managed by the Cauyunan Farmers
Association (CFA). These livelihood projects are a collaborative effort of the LGU
Opol, the CFA, and the DOST-PTRI.

In addition, financial assistance amounting to Php595,006.00 for health and

nutrition interventions was also provided to the IPs in Cauyunan. Said amount will
be used in procuring enhanced nutribuns, iron-fortified rice, and iodized salt for
the residents. These health and nutrition interventions are expected to benefit the
IPs, especially the 198 malnourished children aged 2-10 years old and the
pregnant women in the community. The initial assistance of DOST to the
community was extended in 17 April 2020 wherein 354 bags of 10-Kg packed
rice were distributed to the households in the area during the onset of COVID-19.

5. How compliance testing saved the livelihood of members of a homegrown

micro enterprise
In late September of 2020, an enterprise in traditional weaving and bamboo craft
from Cavite, Likhang Maragondon (LM), decided to participate in the supply
needs for PPEs, in particular, for community face masks using handwoven
fabrics.

To ensure that their masks will

adhere to the guidelines for
cloth face masks for
community use as
recommended by the WHO,
and the DOH-PHST, DOST-
PTRI, LM submitted its
products to the test with
DOST–Philippine Textile
Research Institute (PTRI) for

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 water-repellency, water absorbency, fiber composition, and air permeability. The
fabric type, mask shape, and the number of layers were similarly evaluated, and
in consultation with the DOST-PTRI’s Technical Services Division, their locally-
made handwoven masks were found to successfully conform to the
requirements.

The face mask, branded as Habing Maragondon, consists of multi-layers of

fabrics with the outermost layer making use of the cloth handloom-woven by the
weavers of Maragondon.

The Habing Maragondon President, Ms. Catherine Diquit has expressed their
gratitude to DOST–PTRI for the assistance extended. She and the weavers of
Habing Maragondon validate the critical importance of putting science to the
craft and how compliance testing, and the technical consultancy services
provided by DOST-PTRI, in this instance, for the selection of the right fabric
combination to ensure that the required performance specifications can be or will
be met. These testing and consultancy have spelled the difference for this
community of weavers in Maragondon, Cavite.

KAAYUSAN
6. DOST-CALABARZON developed Contactless Attendance System (CAS)
The inhouse-manufactured device is intended to automate the sampling of
personnel temperature and allow the answering of the health screening
questionnaire without touching any computer peripheral or input devices. It is
meant to integrate with the existing Human Resource Management System
(DOST-CALABARZON HRMIS) and Health Screening Information Systems
(HSIS). CAS was developed using an Arduino microcontroller to interface with
sensors and serve as user input or interface and a computer to serve as the host
that interacts with the information systems.

7. Twelve new communities join “Gulayan sa Pamayanan contra COVID-19”

project bringing the total to 19 project sites as of end of December 2020
Twelve (12) communities joined the Gulayan sa Pamayanan project bringing the
total number to 19 communities with 350 families benefiting from the project as
of end of December 2020. It has also engaged 132 community garden
workers/volunteers. Implemented by DOST-NCR since June 2020, the DOST-
PCAARRD project aims to provide S&T-based livelihood and increase vegetable
availability in Metropolitan areas to alleviate community situation during COVID-
19 pandemic.

8. BanaTech mobile app determines harvest date of Lakatan and Saba

bananas, gives timely advice on cultural management practices

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 Crop yield forecasting is of considerable significance to global food supply. To
improve national food security, policymakers rely on specific forecasts to take
timely import and export decisions. Another important feature of knowing the
crop yield is the timely information for optimal management practices. In
response to this, a new mobile app has been developed by the UPLB SARAi
team to help banana farmers plan their harvest. Aside from calculating the
harvest date, the new app also features advices for timely cultural management
practices.

The primary objective of the application is to determine the total number of days
to harvest from a selected bunch development phase. In this app, stages of
bunch development are presented through pictures of selected and monitored
sample plants during SARAI phenological studies on Lakatan and
Cardaba/Saba. The SARAi team is currently developing an added feature which
is the harvestable bunch yield of Lakatan. The BanaTech is the new addition to
the SARAi team’s already developed apps, which is currently ready for release
through the Google Playstore for field testing to banana growers to enhance its
reliability.

9. Three licensing agreements signed under PCAARRD-Supported Agri-based

Technology Business Incubators (TBIs), CY 2021 plans bared
In 2020, PCAARRD and its partner-agencies have strengthened its efforts in
technology commercialization, food security, and agricultural livelihood in the
midst of the pandemic. Under the DOST-PCAARRD Agri-Aqua Technology
Business Incubation (ATBI) Program, three (3) licensing agreements were
signed and issued with Fairness Opinion Report in 2020 for the transfer and
commercialization of different PCAARRD-funded technologies.

The Isabela State University (ISU) signed two licensing agreements with DV Boer
Farm to commercialize Chevon Valley and SemEx. Chevon Valley is a line of
native dishes applied with the university’s goat processing, product storage and
stability, and canning technologies. SemEx is an artificial insemination technology
used to prolong the life span of buck’s sperm cells for animal breeding.

Furthermore, the Capiz State University (CapSU) signed a licensing agreement

with BDOZ Veterinary Products Trading to commercialize Ethnobotanical
Dewormer, a formulation of ipil-ipil and betel nuts to treat internal parasitism in
native chicken and other poultry species. The Chevon Valley, SemEx, and
Botanical Dewormer are products of PCAARRD-funded R&D projects. Likewise,

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 PCAARRD, through its ATBIs in ISU and CapSU, supports the start-up-incubatee
DV Boer Farm and spinoff-incubatee BDOZ Veterinary Products Trading.

For 2021, the ATBI Program will undertake co-incubation arrangements among
the Laguna State Polytechnic University, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State
University, and Forest Products Research and Development Institute to
commercialize chevon processing and herbal plant processing technologies.
Moreover, the Central Luzon State University has started incubating a start-up for
forage-based pellet feeds for goats, while the University of the Philippines
Visayas has started incubating a spin-off for automatic bottom feeder for fish
farming.

PCAARRD will continue its contribution to the innovation ecosystem and the
agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sector. From hosting 91 incubatees in
2019 to 154 incubatees in 2020, PCAARRD is expected to support more agri-
based startups/spinoffs and level up its ATBI operations for the recovery of the
country from the COVID-19 pandemic. PCAARRD through a TAPI project titled
“Level-up Assistance Project for the Commercialization of Agriculture, Aquatic
and Natural Resources Technologies (LEAP-AANR)” will be providing a package
of assistance and funding support to 16 spinoff/startup companies and/or
incubatees intending to commercialize and/or currently commercializing
PCAARRD-funded/assisted technologies. Likewise, PCAARRD is planning to
establish 4 additional ATBIs in 2021, in addition to the 16 ATBIs established from
2017 to 2020.

KINABUKASAN
10. Updates on Advanced Satellite for the Philippines (ASP) project
As part of DOST’s priority agenda under the emerging technologies sector of
providing space technology applications to public services, the Philippine Space
Agency (PhilSA) announces the start of building next-generation satellite under
the Advanced Satellite for the Philippines (ASP) project of the STAMINA4Space
Program. The ASP project funded by DOST and implemented by the University
of the Philippines and the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute in
coordination with PhilSA is partnering with Surrey Space Technology Ltd (SSTL)
for the design and manufacture of a multispectral satellite capable of imaging an
approximate area of 100,000 km2 of the country daily. SSTL is a leader in
developing commercial-grade earth observation satellites as well as delivering a
Know-How Transfer and Training (KHTT) program that can aid in our capacity
building efforts.

On December 14, 2020, the Phase 1 of the activity commenced with the remote
delivery of the Satellite System Design course by the University of Surrey
attended by a pool of 30 Filipino Engineers. Another set of courses and lectures
on systems engineering will be delivered by the SSTL this January to further
equip engineers with theoretical knowledge needed to build our next satellite.
Thirteen out of the 30 engineers will then be deployed to SSTL in the UK for full
immersion on the design and manufacture of our next satellite.

To provide an overview and background on the Phase 1 activity and its timeline,
SSTL hosted the Kick-Off Meeting last December 22, 2020 attended by

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 representatives from UP, DOST-ASTI, DOST-PCIEERD, and PhilSA. Phase 1
will mainly focus on mission definition and satellite design, which will take into
consideration the requirements of various stakeholders in the country as
consulted by the ASP project in Q1 of 2020.

For Phase 2, the activity will be transitioned to and led by the PhilSA to continue
on the building and launching of the satellite as well as retaining and utilizing the
know-how gained through this collaboration to essentially improve our local
satellite development capabilities, both in turnout time and reliability.

The ASP project continues to build on the capabilities developed from the
Diwata-1 and Diwata-2. This commercial-grade satellite with SSTL will provide
timely high-resolution images of the Philippines, from which actionable insights
can be made to aid decision-making in agriculture, disaster management,
national security, and coastal monitoring and ocean studies. The expected launch
year of the satellite is in 2023.

11. DOST supports scholars in Space Engineering

For Academic Year 2020-2021, eight (8) DOST-SEI scholars have started their
program at the National Graduate School of Engineering (NGSE) of UP Diliman
and are reviewing the BIRDS-4 CubeSat that will be used as the reference for
the next generation of Maya satellites, Maya-5 and Maya-6.

The scholars are Gio Asher Tagabi, Joseph Jonathan Co, Ronald Collamar,
Chandler Timm Doloriel, Genesis Remocaldo, Anna Ruth Alvarez, Angela
Clarisse Chua, and Khazmir Camille Valerie Macaraeg.

The scholarship program is under the Space Technology and Applications

Proliferation through University Partnerships (STeP-UP) Project which aims to
develop a pool of space technology researchers and scientists.

12. DOST Program Leader for STAMINA4Space Program is new Philippine

Space Agency (PhilSA) Deputy Director General
The PhiLSA welcomes the appointment of Dr. Gay Jane Perez as Deputy
Director General.

Dr. Perez is the Program Leader of the DOST-funded STAMINA4Space

Program. She brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the PhilSA through
her work in building and leading various national space science and technology
and applications programs and international scientific collaboration activities.

Dr. Perez is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Meteorology

and Scientist II, UP Diliman and an awardee of The Outstanding Women in the
Nation's Service (TOWNS) and the ASEAN-US Prize for Women. She was a
Postdoctoral Fellow of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

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