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The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) recently named the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and Visayas State University (VSU) as Tuklas Lunas (literally, cure discovery) Centers.


Tuklas Lunas Centers will serve as hubs of natural products research for drug development. Last year, DOST-PCHRD named the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) as its first Tuklas Lunas Center to serve the Mindanao area.


Apart from being centers for research, MMSU, VSU, and MSU-IIT will also facilitate collaborative research with other institutions in their respective areas.


As such, they will receive research and equipment grants from DOST-PCHRD.


“We are very happy that we have been chosen because it means our research efforts are being recognized. Of course, the equipment and research grant will greatly help in capacitating our faculty and students. We are also glad that our institution will have the opportunity to contribute for the country’s research effort in natural products research for drug discovery,” said Dr. Edgardo Tulin, vice president for planning and resource generation of VSU.


The criteria for choosing Tuklas Lunas Centers include excellent research and development track record, competitive staff, and institutional capacity. Tuklas Lunas Centers are part of DOST-PCHRD’s effort to accelerate drug discovery research in the country.

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Filipinos love sweets, and this is proven by our love for sweet delicacies ranging from rice cakes to preserved fruits and jams. However, Pinoys have large risk of contracting diabetes, with about 1.4 million Filipinos suffering from diabetes mellitus.

As such, artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes can be very appealing to people looking to cut their calories or control blood sugar. Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can be bad for the health. But nature has provided more alternatives that can give us guilt- and worry-free indulgence to our favorite sweet treats.

Palm sugars: the next big thing

Coconut palm sugar has garnered attention not only in the international scene but locally as well for reportedly being a low-carb sugar substitute and more nutritious than typical table sugar.

Pure coconut palm sugar is a natural product made from nectar or sap of the coconut palm tree. According to studies, coco sugars has a naturally low glycemic index (GI) which has led some to claim that it is a valuable sugar substitute for people with diabetes or those looking to control blood sugar. GI is a measure of how sugar-based food impacts blood sugar, wherein high GI foods causes rapid rise in blood glucose levels in humans.

Aside from the low-GI content, palm sugars also offers health benefits as it contains other elements needed by the body such as potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, among others.

Kaong Palm Sugars

As the demand for alternative sugars increases, a team of researchers led by Dr. Lydia Manguiat of DOST-Calabarzon, has found another healthy substitute in kaong palms (Arenga pinnata). Kaong palms or sugar palms are best known for its fruit processed into salad ingredient and the popular kaong vinegar.

A recent study under the “Development of Low GI Palm Sugar” Program, researchers found out that kaong sap contains a GI value of 40 which is five points higher than coco sap sugar.

“While a tad higher compared to coconut sap sugar, kaong sap sugar is still categorized as low GI foods,” said Dr. Manguiat.

According to Dr. Manguiat, kaong sap sugar has been in existence ever since, especially in Cavite and Quezon are. It is served as a local delicacy in the form of pakaskas. “With its distinct caramel taste, the local palm sugar can be developed into a high-value commodity, as well as its by products,” she added.

According to Dr. Lorenzo Lapitan of Cavite State University, “Kaong palms have a high potential for sugar production due to the abundance of palms in the country coupled with its high sugar conversion ratio.”

According to CavSU’s studies, a single kaong plant can produce 2500 liters of sap which totals roughly to about 1000 kg of sugar per hectare.

Similar with the coco sap sugar, kaong palm sugar is also a very good source of many key minerals and vitamins including potassium, magnesium, protein, calcium, and iron in beneficial quantities not present in refined sugars

“The program will greatly enhance the palm industry, which can help our local farmers augment their income as well as providing healthy options to sweet lovers,” Dr. Manguiat claimed.

Aside from kaong, other local palms such as nipa and buri are being studied for their sugar production potential and other by products such as syrups and vinegars.

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Coastal communities near Subic Bay will soon achieve tsunami preparedness as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) in collaboration with the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), agencies under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), prepare for the installation of tsunami detection sensors at Sueste Point in Subic Bay within the territorial jurisdiction of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

This initiative is part of the PHIVOLCS-ASTI project on tsunami warning and preparedness called “Establishment of a Cost-effective Local Tsunami Early Warning System for Selected High-risk Coastal Communities of the Philippines”, or TeWS, which is under the DOST-Grant-in-Aid (DOST-GIA) Project.

The Subic Bay tsunami detection sensors is TeWS’s next and final target for this phase under DOST-GIA following the placement of tsunami warning sirens in Mabacong and Sta. Rita Aplaya, the two pilot barangays for Batangas City last February 2013.

The reliable yet low-maintenance tsunami detection equipment is composed of a platform with a pole to which different sensors are attached: the ultrasonic tide sensor which notes the rise and fall of the sea level, dry sensor which determines whether water has receded immediately after a large earthquake thus indicating a very high possibility of tsunami occurrence, and wet sensors installed at heights of 1m, 5m, and 8 or 10m, which detect if tsunami water has already hit the pole. The sensors at the tsunami detection site communicate all signals to alerting sirens using GSM-communication developed by ASTI. Experts from both PHIVOLCS and ASTI designed the sensors and the whole system.

Previously, PHIVOLCS and ASTI had installed tsunami detection sensors in Bolinao, Pangasinan for the Lingayen Gulf with five pilot alerting sirens in Barangays Pugaro, Gueset, Binloc in Dagupan City, in the Poblacion of Lingayen, Pangasinan and in the Poblacion of Bolinao, Pangasinan; in Rapu Rapu for the Albay Gulf with five sirens installed in Barangays San Roque, Bonot, Puro, and Rawis in Legazpi City and in the Poblacion of Rapu Rapu; and in Corregidor and Lubang Island for both Batangas Bay and Manila Bay clusters. The Rapu Rapu Polymetallic Project, a mining company in Rapu Rapu island, is planning to donate similar alerting stations for their neighboring barangays in Rapu Rapu.

Under the TeWS project, each cluster will have one tsunami detection system as well as alerting stations or warning sirens for five pilot communities. In the case of Subic Bay, alerting sirens had already been put in place and are now operational in the Municipality of Subic, City of Olongapo and SBMA. The five pilot communities for each cluster shall be the model barangays for other neighboring coastal communities to have similar warning system, or alerting sirens at the least, coupled with their respective evacuation plans prepared by them.

“We have a grand plan for the tsunami monitoring system of the Philippines,” declared PHIVOLCS Director Renato U. Solidum Jr. “Under this project, we’re also testing a new type of low-power radio and we’re also putting tsunami tide gauges. This will enable us to have a more robust backup communication system via radio.”

“We will test these in five other areas. We had tested this in Corregidor but we will move it because we already have our own sensor there,” Dir. Solidum added.

Meanwhile, the group continues to train communities within the various TeWS cluster areas on understanding tsunami warning signals, and how to prepare for and implement evacuation, such as the two-day capacity building activity conducted by PHIVOLCS and ASTI for Mabacong and Sta. Rita Aplaya in Batangas City last February.

“In the next few years, we will also put up additional tsunami tide gauges in real time via satellite in various parts of the country,” the PHIVOLCS director said.

A few weeks ago, PHIVOLCS and the Japan International Cooperation Agency launched two comics materials and a video featuring Filipino residents in Japan who experienced the earthquake and tsunami which hit the country in March 2011.The materials will be distributed among schools in the country’s eastern shoreline in a bid to raise awareness on earthquakes and tsunamis and promote disaster preparedness.

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The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has sealed an agreement with the country’s biggest cable provider alliance, the Philippine Cable Television Association, Inc. (PCTA), to create “DOSTv”, a 24/7 cable weather information channel to complement the services of DOST’s main weather agency, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

DOSTv shall broadcast accurate and up-to-date weather information of PAGASA, along with hourly satellite and Doppler images and weather sensors data from the Program NOAH website. NOAH, or the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, is DOST’s flagship program for disaster preparedness under the directive of President Benigno Aquino III.

The partnership between DOST and PCTA was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) recently during the PCTA 2013 Convention at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

“This partnership significantly contributes to our ongoing efforts to mitigate the destructive effects of natural calamities such as typhoons and monsoon rains under the backdrop of climate change”, said DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo.

DOSTv will be administered by the Department’s information arm, the Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) and is scheduled to debut this May 2013, to be carried by around 90 percent of PCTA’s cable franchisers. PCTA has more than 300 cable provider members all over the archipelago, according to PCTA Chairman Engr. Elpidio M. Paras.

Apart from DOSTv, PCTA members in the MOA also agree to host stations weather data gathering sensors, servers, and equipment to be provided by PAGASA, especially for its regional offices’ unreached areas and to improve the weather agency’s forecast capabilities.

“This is an important milestone for the cable industry as it is for the economy. Our lives are greatly affected by weather and climate, especially those in the regions whose primary source of income is agriculture”, PCTA Chairman Paras.

DOST-STII Director Raymund E. Liboro meanwhile stressed that “now is the time to look for means to increase the risk perception, mitigate the hazard, and prepare communities” as unprecedented meteorological events have recently struck the country.

Program NOAH Executive Director Dr. Mahar Lagmay presented during said convention a brief shocking footage of people being swept away to their deaths by even a knee-level flashflood.

“Had these people known the danger of an impending flashflood, they would have run in time for safety,” he said. “It is what we’re trying to avoid—the surprise—for it is what causes disasters and loss of lives. We simply cannot stress enough the importance of information.”

PCTA Chairman Paras also cited the importance of collaboration with weather and disaster experts, noting Cagayan de Oro’s recent linkage with PAGASA and Program NOAH. According to him, the linkage spurred by Cagayan de Oro’s devastating experience with typhoon Sendong enabled a two-hour warning before typhoon Pablo of last year hit the city, and resulted in zero casualties. An unprepared neighbor, Compostela Valley, unfortunately, was left with a many fatalities, he said.

 

New partners in disaster mitigation

New partners in disaster mitigation. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) teams up with the country’s alliance of major cable providers, the Philippine Cable Television Association, Inc., (PCTA) through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement to create a new weather information channel dubbed “DOSTv” to debut in May 2013. DOSTv will broadcast weather data and advisories from Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) as well as satellite and Doppler images and weather sensors data from the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards or Program NOAH website. In photo are (seated from left) Project NOAH Executive Director Dr. Mahar Lagmay, National Telecommunications Commission Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba, DOST-PAGASA Administrator Dr. Nathaniel T. Servando, PCTA President Allan P. Dungao, DOST Science and Technology Information Institute Director Raymund E. Liboro, PCTA Chairman Engr. Elpidio M. Paras and PCTA Directors (standing) during the MOA signing last March 20, 2013, at PCTA’s 2013 Convention at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. (Photo by Gerardo Palad, text by George Robert Valencia III, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)

 

Information is key

Information is key. DOST STII Director Raymund E. Liboro discusses the value of creating DOSTv during the 2013 Philippine Cable Television Association Convention. DOSTv will be administered by DOST-STII and shall be a weather information resource for communities to guide their decision making and serve as a monitoring tool to help prevent disasters. DOSTv will broadcast weather data, image updates from the DOST Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and the Project NOAH website. (Photo by Gerardo Palad, text by George Robert Valencia III, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)

 

Horrifying video clip of a flashflood

Horrifying video clip of a flashflood. Dr. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards or Project NOAH, stresses the need for hazard information communication to the entire country by beginning his talk with a brief, disturbing clip of a knee-high flashflood washing out a group of people down a ravine, taken from a mobile device. He said that because of lack of information, natural events catch people by surprise, thus leading to disasters. This has to be prevented, Dr. Lagmay emphasized. (Photo by Gerardo Palad, text by George Robert Valencia III, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)

 

One in disaster mitigation

One in disaster mitigation. DOST-STII Director Raymund E. Liboro (3rd from right) and ABS-CBN Chairman Eugenio Lopez III (2nd from right), together with Philippine Cable Television Association, Inc. (PCTA) President Allan P. Dungao (far right), Chairman Engr. Elpidio M. Paras (2nd from left), and other officers, pose briefly after a short talk about DOSTv. They are united about making available crucial weather information to the public. (Photo by Gerardo Palad, text by George Robert Valencia III, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)

 

Weather talk

Weather talk. DOST STII Director Raymund E. Liboro explains the concept of DOSTv, which will also be administered by DOST-STII, information arm of the DOST, beginning May 2013. (Photo by Gerardo Palad, text by George Robert Valencia III, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)

 

More weather talk

More weather talk. DOST-STII Director Raymund E. Liboro (right), ABS-CBN Chairman Eugenio Lopez III (middle), and PCTA President Mr. Allan P. Dungao (left) discuss plans for a soon-to-air weather channel DOSTv. (Photo by Gerardo Palad, text by George Robert Valencia III, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)

 

People behind Project NOAH

People behind Project NOAH. DOST-STII Director Raymund E. Liboro together with the Project NOAH team inside the DOSTv booth during the 2013 Philippine Cable Television Association Convention at the SMX Convention Center. The Project NOAH website has been recognized by international organizations as one of Asia’s best practices in disaster prevention, as it integrates weather sensors, Doppler, satellite, and other weather-related data in a user-friendly interface. DOST-STII will be in-charge of DOSTv. (Photo by Gerardo Palad, text by George Robert Valencia III, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)