DOST taps solar trays to improve fish drying

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.

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 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.

235 Balik Scientist, target ng DoST sa 2022

Ang Balik Scientists ay mga eksperto sa agham at teknolohiya na kasalukuyang naninirahan sa ibang bansa na tinawagan upang umuwi sa Pilipinas upang magtrabaho at gamitin ang pagkadalubhasa sa bansa.

Simula nang itatag ang programang Balik Scientist noong 1975 hanggang nitong Disyembre 2017, 567 na siyentista na ang nakauwi sa Pilipinas.

Target ng DoST na magkaroon ng 41 Balik Scientist ngayong 2018, at itaas pa ito ng tatlong beses kada taon hanggang 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,” ani Dela Peña.

Una nang ipinahayag ni Dela Peña ang kanyang kagustuhan na mahikayat ang mas maraming siyentistang Pilipino na bumalik ng bansa, dahil sa paniniwalang malaki ang maitutulong ng mga ito sa pagbibigay ng translational research.

Aminado ang Kalihim na hindi madali na mahikayat ang mga siyentistang naninirahan sa ibang bansa na mapauwi, lalo na doon sa mga kumikita nang maayos sa ibang bansa.

Upang masolusyonan ang problemang ito at ang iba pang suliranin na humahadlang upang mapauwi ang mga siyentista, naglaan ang DoST ng ilang insentibo sa mga Balik Scientist.

Ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas, sa pamamagitan ng DoST, ay nagtatag ng Balik Scientist Program noong 1975, upang masulosyunan ang kakulangan ng mga mananaliksik at para makatulong sa pagpapaunlad ng mga agham na programa sa bansa.

Ang mga siyentista na tutulong sa programa ay maaaring manatili ng 30-90 araw na makatatanggap ng short-term incentives at tatlo hanggang apat na taon para naman sa long-term incentives.

Sa ilalim ng programang short-term incentives, sasagutin ng DoST ang roundtrip airfare ng Balik Scientist, at magbibigay rin ang ahensiya ng daily allowance na 150 dolyar.

Sakop naman ng long-term incentives, ang one-way airfare ng siyentista, asawa nito at dalawang minor dependants.

Ibibigay rin ang pamasahe pabalik sa pagtatapos ng kontrata. Maaari ring makatanggap ng pondo para sa pananaliksik (upon request) at honorarium mula sa institusyon, na maaaring lokal o pribado na nangangailangan ng tulong teknikal.

Nabanggit din ni Dela Peña na ang pagsasainstitusyon ng programang Balik Scientist ay malaking tulong upang mas marami pa ang mahikayat.

Aniya, sa pamamagitan nito, mas magiging madali para sa mga siyentista ang pagproseso ng mga kailangang dokumento, lalo’t pinahihintulutan ito ng batas na mas mabilis maiproseso ang visa at immigration requirements. Malaking tulong ito sa mga nakatanggap na ng foreign citizenship.

Samantala, target ng DoST ang mga siyentista na dalubhasa sa 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-economic and policy research, at technology transfer.

By Tara Yap

Iloilo City — A total of 630 senior high school students from Western Visayas have qualified for the government’s science and technology scholarship program.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently announced there are 8,994 slots for college scholarships under the Republic Act No. 7687 (RA 7687) and Republic Act No. 2067 (RA 2067).

“The new scholars will get to enjoy the scholarship provided they enroll in four or five-year science and technology courses and comply with the requirements,” noted DOST Western Visayas Regional Director Rowen Gelonga.

RA 7687 provides scholarship to poor but deserving students.

The DOST-SEI Merit Scholarship Program under RA 2067 benefits students with a high aptitude in science and mathematics.

DOST also has Junior Level Science Scholarships for third year college students who are enrolled in science and technology priority courses.

All government science and technology scholars are required to serve the country for a period of the number of years they availed of the scholarship