Home

DOST eyes 235 more Balik Scientists ’til 2022

Posted on April 27, 2018

MANILA — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) eyes to tap 235 more “Balik Scientists” from 2018-2022, DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Friday.

Balik Scientists are science and technology experts residing abroad and who are contracted to return to the Philippines to work and use their expertise in the country.

Since the Balik Scientist Program’s establishment in 1975 up to December 2017, the Philippines has had a total of 567 Balik Scientists.

The DOST targets 41 Balik Scientists in 2018, and increase this number by three each year until 2022.

“We project around 60 (Balik Scientists) per year after the BSP (Balik Scientists Program) becomes a law. So even if we just got 35 for this year, and if we’ll have 50 per year for the next four years, that would still total to 235 by 2022,” Dela Peña said.

Dela Peña earlier expressed his desire to encourage more Filipino scientists to return to the country, as he believes they would be very helpful in providing translational research.

The Secretary admitted it is not easy to encourage scientists living abroad to come back, especially those who are already earning well in other countries.

To address this and the other challenges that make the potential Balik Scientists think twice about coming back, the DOST provides several incentives to Balik Scientists.

The Philippine government, through the DOST, has established the Balik Scientists Program in 1975 to address the lack of researchers here and also to help improve the country’s science programs.

Those who will avail of the program can choose to stay for 30-90 days to get short-term incentives, or for two to three years to get the long-term incentives.

For the program’s short-term incentives, the DOST will shoulder the Balik Scientists’ roundtrip airfare, and will also provide them with a daily allowance of USD150.

For the long-term incentives, on the other hand, the DOST will shoulder the one-way airfare of the scientist, his or her spouse, and two minor dependents. A prepaid return airfare will also be provided upon serving the scientist’s contract. Scientists may also receive research funding (upon request), and an honorarium from the host institution, which could be a local or private institution seeking technical assistance.

Dela Pena earlier cited that institutionalizing the Balik Scientist Program would be a huge help to encourage more Balik Scientists.

Institutionalizing the program would make it easier for the scientists to process their entry requirements, since the law will allow them to process their visa and immigration requirements faster. This is essential, especially for those who were already granted foreign citizenship, he explained.

Dela Peña added that the law must also provide remuneration for the Balik Scientists.

In a previous interview with the PNA, Reynaldo Ebora, acting executive director of the DOST-attached agency Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), explained that once the Balik Scientist Program becomes a law, the Balik Scientists’ entitlements would increase. So would their current USD150 daily allowance.

Meanwhile, some of the DOST’s priority areas with identified gaps are forestry Research and Development (R&D), crops R&D, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, aquatic R&D, natural resources and environment R&D, livestock R&D, socio-economics and policy research, and technology transfer.

The DOST targets Balik Scientists who will work on these areas. (PNA)

DOST taps solar trays to improve fish drying

posted April 28, 2018 at 06:10 pm by Manila Standard Business

The Department of Science and Technology has provided solar drying trays to help fishers in Uyugan town, Batanes province improve the quality of “Dibang” dried fish.

Sancho Mabborang, regional director of DOST in Region 2, said the Portasol solar drying trays, developed by Filipino inventor Francisco ‘Ka Popoy’ Pagayon would help the fishing town increase the production of dried fish with greater product quality and food safety.

“The Portasol would allow the efficient and also a sanitary way of drying ‘Dibang’ in multiple trays and not the same way as before when they dried it on the streets and other wide cement surfaces around the town,” Mabborang said.

DOST Region 2 granted two sets of Portasol trays, a vacuum packaging machine and packaging materials with a combined cost of P500,000 under the agency’s Community Empowerment Through Science and Technology project.

Uyugan mayor Jonathan Enrique Nanud Jr. (second from right), thanks DOST for providing his town with the efficient portable solar dryer Portasol. With him are (from left) DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena, DOST Batanes provincial director Nora Garcia, DOST Region 2 regional director Sancho Mabborang and Portasol inventor Francisco ‘Ka Popoy’ Pagayon.

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Pena endorsed Portasol as a solar drying option for various crops and products that can also avoid unnecessary vehicular accidents caused by roadside rice, corn, coffee beans and fish drying.

Pagayon, who is also the president and chief executive of Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative Inc., said drying crops and fishery products on highways were causing irritation and distraction among motorists.

“This traditional drying is still being resorted to by our farmers in the countryside because the usual post-harvest solar dryers that are mere cement slabs are regularly turned into basketball courts or used for some public events,” Pagayon said.

“This will get worse later this year and especially next year during the campaign season when these solar dryers will be used as campaign rally venues,” he said.

Pagayon said aside from being a cause of vehicular accidents, the roadside or highway pavement crop drying also led to grains production losses.

The Department of Science and Technology-Region 2 turns over Portasol solar drying trays to fisherfolk of Uyugan town in Batanes province. Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Pena, DOST Region 2 regional director Sancho Mabborang, Portasol inventor Francisco Pagayon and DOST-Batanes provincial director Nora Garcia witness the turnover ceremony.

“The Portasol is a simple solution to an old problem and an immediate response to the cry of all our farmers for simple, easy, more effective and indigenous dryers that will put an end to the country’s extensive perennial post-harvest losses,” he said.

He said the Portasol tray drying system is more effective, efficient and reliable as it is two to three times faster in drying crops compared to the conventional practice of pavement drying.

Pagayon said he wanted to introduce Portasol nationwide to revolutionize the entire post-harvest system.

He said there would also be a considerable ease and convenience in collecting, re-sacking and storing dried grains with the Portasol system.

Portasol could also prevent pest infestation, says Pagayon.

DoST, Davao City to sign deal for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment facility

April 29, 2018 | 8:03 pm

THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology-Davao Region office (DoST-9) and the Davao City government are set to sign a memorandum of agreement (MoA) for the setting up of a wastewater treatment facility for the slaughterhouse. DoST-9, under its P6.2 million Sanitation Embankment Project, will utilize the Vertical Helophyte Filtration System (VHFS) technology that allows filtration and reuse of wastewater. “The MoA is good to go for this year definitely, and based on the timeline, we are supposed to start this month,” DoST-9 Assistant Regional Director Mirasol G. Domingo told the media. The VHFS is now being piloted at Porky’s, a popular lechon seller in the city. Ms. Domingo said they started developing the technology last year with the help of a Dutch water engineer consultant. — Maya M. Padillo