Digos City, Davao del Sur – The Department of Science and Technology and the University of Mindanao officially launched an application that can help local government units in monitoring beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.  

Dubbed “Project e4PsMap", the project developed a data analytics-driven application that conducts maternal and neonatal outcomes monitoring, visualization, and dashboard system for the City of Digos to enable the local government monitoring the success and compliance rates of the program’s intervention to its beneficiaries. 

Funded by the DOST – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), UM also trained community social workers in terms of data updating, warehousing, verification, and analysis.  

DOST PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit congratulated the team of researchers who produced the application and expressed hope that it can translate to helping the beneficiaries of the 4Ps.  

“The e4PsMap System speaks to the very essence of our commitment to good governance. It addresses a critical need for our Local Government Unit of Digos City, enabling us to understand, with precision, whether our social interventions are truly attaining their desired goals. Through this platform, we bridge the gap between data and decision-making, ensuring that no household, no individual is left behind in the quest for progress,” Paringit said.  

The e4PsMap will provide regular analysis of trends, and accomplishment of targets, and inclusion of analysis in the reports of city social welfare and development office to the Office of the City Mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod for their information and disposition.  

The e4PsMap System was funded by DOST-PCIEERD under the Good Governance through Data Science and Decision Support System (GODDESS) program. This program is intended to provide support local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGA), through their regional offices, in planning, programming, policymaking, and delivery of goods and services through development of data science and analytics-related projects and applications. 

Davao City, August 11, 2023 – The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) and the University of Immaculate Concepcion (UIC) officially unveiled the Mobilizing Advanced Research and Innovations to Advocate Nation-Building (MARIAN) Technology Business Incubator (TBI) to help the startup landscape in Davao City and the region by focusing on healthcare technologies and bridging the gap between academic research and industry.

"Through our partnership with UIC, we are providing a platform for students, faculty, and researchers to transform their R&D outputs into impactful startups, especially in the healthcare sector, that benefit the community. This collaboration aligns with our vision of advancing technology and entrepreneurship to contribute to the nation's growth and development,” said Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, Executive Director of DOST-PCIEERD.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ceasar Ian Benablo, the MARIAN TBI Manager, expressed his excitement for the inauguration of the TBI. 

“We are thrilled about the possibilities this incubator offers to the health technology startup ecosystem in Davao City. We envision an environment where brilliant business ideas and research outputs converge to address pressing societal issues through the development of cutting-edge ICT tools, including mobile and web applications.”

As part of the TBI’s plan, they will be conducting trainings and workshops with their targeted Regional Partners and mentors, to increase awareness about the local startup ecosystem of Davao and develop the best startups from their region through the TBI’s incubation program to which will be validated with the leading TBIs abroad and in the country.

The MARIAN TBI was funded by DOST-PCIEERD through its Higher Education Institution Readiness for Innovation and Technopreneurship Program (HEIRIT). 

The HEIRIT Program was developed to help universities meet the Council's TBI funding requirements and train managers to effectively run DOST-affiliated TBIs. HEIRIT seeks to address the growing demand for early-stage entrepreneurial support, particularly in various regions across the Philippines.

MARIAN TBI is among the 44 TBIs supported by DOST-PCIEERD. 

GMA-7 premier documentary show I-Witness trains its sights on Philippine Science Centrum Travelling Exhibit, a project funded by the Department of Science and Technology, as it brings exciting science experiments and learning to students and residents of Sitio Disigisaw of Aurora province.  

The initiative, which is being carried out by the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology (PFST), has visited 26 Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) districts on the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It has brought exciting science exhibits to 300,000 students on the value of science and instructed 4, 000 teachers in basic science experiments.

Sandra Aguinaldo, the program's host, a well-known journalist, and documentary filmmaker, joined DOST after an extensive journey of over nine hours by land and two hours by boat. In her journey, she met a bright Agta student named Efrean, a 14-year-old who is a gem in their class, gifted in math but lacking in science, and whose dreams are to leave his small community and pursue more through education.

It is a sad fact that Efrean, like most of his contemporaries in Sitio Disigisaw, cannot do this without assistance and access to other possibilities.

The touring exhibit, according to DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr., strives to promote and address issues that affect both the community and students like Efrean.  He explained that children's disinterest in math and science is what DOST would want to address through the Science Centrum’s Travelling Exhibit.

“The innovation landscape has a lot of room to develop. Our initiatives like the Science Centrum’s mobile displays spark our kids' enthusiasm for math and science, which will lead to more researchers and innovators across the country,” he stressed.

Secretary Solidum emphasized that it was essential to teach science to these communities and to pique interest in it for students and educators, as well as to inspire both groups to pursue lifelong learning.

"During travel exhibitions, PFST takes the extra mile in training science teachers by using a module program the foundation created as part of the project. Complicated ideas are transformed into substantial knowledge that may be passed down through generations with the help of Prof. Cora Salumbides, a Balik Scientist”.

Recognizing the value of students' awareness of science in the area and how it influences the landscape of research and development.

"We appreciate GMA 7's I-Witness, for covering this endeavor. Through this partnership, we hope to reach out to more students and capacitate teachers, so that we can find our next generation of scientists, even among GIDA regions and indigenous tribes like the Agtas.  Thanks to efforts of organizations like PFST, he said.

The documentary program will air on Saturday, August 5, 2023, 10:30 p.m. at GMA Channel 7.

GMA-7 premier documentary show I-Witness trains its sights on Philippine Science Centrum Travelling Exhibit, a project funded by the Department of Science and Technology, as it brings exciting science experiments and learning to students and residents of Sitio Disigisaw of Aurora province.  

The initiative, which is being carried out by the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology (PFST), has visited 26 Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) districts on the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It has brought exciting science exhibits to 300,000 students on the value of science and instructed 4, 000 teachers in basic science experiments.

Sandra Aguinaldo, the program's host, a well-known journalist, and documentary filmmaker, joined DOST after an extensive journey of over nine hours by land and two hours by boat. In her journey, she met a bright Agta student named Efrean, a 14-year-old who is a gem in their class, gifted in math but lacking in science, and whose dreams are to leave his small community and pursue more through education.

It is a sad fact that Efrean, like most of his contemporaries in Sitio Disigisaw, cannot do this without assistance and access to other possibilities.

The touring exhibit, according to DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr., strives to promote and address issues that affect both the community and students like Efrean.  He explained that children's disinterest in math and science is what DOST would want to address through the Science Centrum’s Travelling Exhibit.

“The innovation landscape has a lot of room to develop. Our initiatives like the Science Centrum’s mobile displays spark our kids' enthusiasm for math and science, which will lead to more researchers and innovators across the country,” he stressed.

Secretary Solidum emphasized that it was essential to teach science to these communities and to pique interest in it for students and educators, as well as to inspire both groups to pursue lifelong learning.

"During travel exhibitions, PFST takes the extra mile in training science teachers by using a module program the foundation created as part of the project. Complicated ideas are transformed into substantial knowledge that may be passed down through generations with the help of Prof. Cora Salumbides, a Balik Scientist”.

Recognizing the value of students' awareness of science in the area and how it influences the landscape of research and development.

"We appreciate GMA 7's I-Witness, for covering this endeavor. Through this partnership, we hope to reach out to more students and capacitate teachers, so that we can find our next generation of scientists, even among GIDA regions and indigenous tribes like the Agtas.  Thanks to efforts of organizations like PFST, he said.

The documentary program will air on Saturday, August 5, 2023, 10:15 p.m. at GMA Channel 7.

Nabua, Camarines Sur—The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology, Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) and the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) officially launched the AI Research Center for Community Development o (AIRCoDE) on July 28, 2023, the first AI research center in the Bicol Region.  

DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit lauded the state college for putting up the facility and expressed hopes that it brings forth innovations for the regions.  

"CSPC is gaining momentum in its pursuit in developing its research capabilities, and we have no doubt that AIRCODE will be another success story for them and for the Bicolanos,” he said.  

Dr. Paringit also recognizes the crucial contribution of AIRCODE to the 49 labs set up nationwide as part of the Infrastructure Development Program (IDP) of the council.  

"To date, we have poured P234.4 million on cutting-edge lab equipment, infrastructure, specialized software, and other crucial operational needs for our research and development firms, he shared. 

Project Leader Joseph Jessie Oñate stressed the importance of this facility and how it will help the town of Nabua, a catch basin for floodwaters from Albay.  

"The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) of Nabua's official report states that in 2020, not only was the Nabua school site flooded, but 18 of the 34 villages in the town were also waterlogged, and approximately 520 families, or roughly 2, 471 people, stayed at the evacuation camps, he said.   

As part of the facility, the research titled Project Apaw: Spatiotemporal Forecasting of River Flood using Deep Learning is also carried out.   

By August 2023, they also aim to install sensors in the affected areas, which will help them to fully utilize the center.  

"This project will make a genuine difference by estimating flood levels and offering real-time notifications through websites, social media pages, and SMS in order to better prepare our community for calamities", explained Oñate.     

In addition to addressing the urgent requirements of Rinconada communities, AIRCoDE will also strengthen the research skills of AI enthusiasts, including faculty members and students, to identify answers to the ten-year flooding crisis in Nabua. This will be done by focusing on deep learning, computer vision, and other AI approaches.  

DOST Region V Director Rommel Serrano also shared how this facility is a game changer in the region.   

“The Bicol region is particularly vulnerable to typhoons due to its topographical features (the Mayon and the sea) and location (a typhoon corridor). Nabua won't benefit from the center alone, but this highly significant project has the potential to be adopted by other towns in the region in the future and set a precedent for how artificial intelligence might be used to our advantage, he stressed.