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Houses and buildings in Metro Manila including churches, need inspection to ensure that they comply with the standard Building Code, told Dr. Renato U. Solidum, director of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS).

Solidum’s warning came in the face of mounting concerns about Metro Manila’s readiness should an earthquake with a magnitude similar to the 7.2 temblor which shook Central Visayas last week hit the crowded metropolis.

Since earthquakes cannot be predicted, Metro Manila should be prepared and take all possible measures for greater safety as early as now, said Solidum. One of these measures is a thorough inspection of houses, schools, office, residential and commercial buildings, churches and other edifices to check if these are structurally safe.

“The Philippines is prone to hazards including earthquakes due to its geological location. It is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, and it is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes…,” stated Solidum.

Historically, the tectonic plates of the West Valley Fault, which runs from San Mateo in Rizal all the way to the city of Taguig, were last activated in 1658 resulting in an earthquake. According to the PHIVOLCS director, these plates are expected to move again anytime within 400-600 years after this. If they do move against each other, the resulting tremor may be as strong as the killer quake that claimed almost 200 lives (as of press time) and toppled numerous structures including historic churches in Bohol and Cebu. Among these are the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City; Church of San Pedro Apostol in Loboc, Bohol; Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Baclayon, Bohol; and the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Dauis, Bohol.

According to data by PHIVOLCS, a 7.2 earthquake in Manila and nearby provinces would result to a death toll of at least 37,000 with 604,000 injured and P2.4 trillion worth of damage to buildings. Said data is the result of a three-year risk analysis project by the Philippine and Australian governments. The study was presented during the Launch and Handover of Multi-hazard and Risk Maps for the Greater Metro Manila Area held last Oct. 17 at Crowne Plaza in Ortigas.

The PHIVOLCS director added that the churches in Visayas crumbled during the quake partially because they are made of limestone which easily softens. The 7.2 temblor occurred at 8:12 am on October 15, 2013 with its epicenter located 2 kilometers southeast of Carmen in Bohol

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Smarter technologies and capabilities made possible by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), are out to bolster the Philippines’ global competitiveness amid forecasts that the country will rise as the world’s 16th largest economy, leaping 27 places from its current position.

In his presentation during the recent opening of the North Luzon leg of the Regional Science and Technology Week (RSTW) at the Benguet State University in La Trinidad, Benguet, Alejandro Melchor III, executive director of DOST’s Information Communication Technology Office (DOST-ICTO), revealed that the world is now looking at the Philippines and other Asian countries as the fastest growing economies.

“Who will deliver the fastest growth in 2050? Number one, China, traditional; second, India, and surprisingly, the Philippines,” exclaimed Melchor.


Smarter Philippines

DOST leverages these projections to prepare the country towards this global economic shift as it directs the journey toward a “Smarter Philippines,” a program which will enable the country to achieve global competitiveness by developing and deploying smarter technologies. In particular, Smarter Philippines aims to enhance capabilities and thus give local and global investors more options to invest in agriculture, industries, governance, climate change adaptation, human capability, jobs creation, healthcare, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

For smarter farming, the program will address perennial problems in rice sufficiency, mango productivity, livestock and fish productions, and improvement of coconut yield via enhancement of the fruit’s genetic makeup. Coconut is one of the country’s most promising crops, generating $1.45B in annual revenues.

Smarter MSMEs will strengthen the sector by providing innovative, cost-effective and appropriate technologies that enable MSMEs to develop and produce competitive products that meet world-class standards.

Meanwhile, Smarter Industries will provide state-of-the-art facilities and capabilities which will enable local industries to move up the value chain and attain global competitiveness.

For the electronics and semiconductor sectors, DOST unveiled the Advanced Device Materials and Testing Laboratory earlier this year to enhance their productivity.

Furthermore, Smarter Industries will also help widen the global market share of the local business process outsourcing (BPO) industry which is poised to attain world leadership in four more fast-growing BPO services namely healthcare information management, finance and accounting, human resources and creative process outsourcing. Further strengthening the capabilities of the BPO industry is DOST’s Next Wave Cities Program which will ensure that BPO employment will be spread throughout the country.

To achieve good governance and transparency, Smarter Government will provide an ICT-based transformation of governance and the delivery of government services and information. Projects such as IGov Philippines, a secured online government payment services and TV white space, and an internet connectivity using untapped UHF and VHF TV channels, will provide innovative government services to people, even in the countryside.

To address the absence of public doctors especially in far-flung areas of the country, technologies such as the RXBox, a portable medical device that could check the patient’s electrocardiogram or ECG, heart rate, blood, pulse rate and blood oxygenation, can provide immediate diagnosis by transmitting the test results to affiliated medical doctors through the internet or mobile phones.


Global seismic shift

According to Dir. Melchor, an Asian Development Bank survey showed that the combined gross domestic products of ASEAN, China and India could quadruple and exceed the combined US and European economies in the coming years. Meanwhile, the region’s share in world investments is projected to reach 40%. “Every $100B of world investments, $40B will go to the Asian region,” Dir. Melchor said.

The DOST-ICTO official also mentioned a global research by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation indicating that by 2050, world attention will turn to “new emergers” as the world economy undergoes a seismic shift.

Seismic shift refers to a global economic transformation from the economic superpower countries to new and emerging economies.

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There will now be less sun drying of fish products along the roads of Caroan, Gonzaga s the second set of multi-commodity Solar Tunnel Dryer (MCSTD) in the province of Cagayan was installed and inaugurated recently.

Sun drying is one of the most common and traditional methods of food preservation in the Philippines. Although the cost of the process is fairly cheap, sun drying becomes problematic during the rainy season. Also, sun dried products are more prone to microbial contamination due to exposure to wind and dust.

PHilMech bats for the solar tunnel dryer as an appropriate alternative to sun drying and commercial mechanical dryer. A modified type of dryer fabricated by researchers from the Hohenheim University in Germany, the solar tunnel dryer is convenient to use, cheaper, and entails lower operation costs compared with commercial dryers available in the market.

The dryer too is easily installed and maintained, and offers simultaneous, efficient, and hygienic drying of commodities. Food dried using the solar tunnel dryer has longer preservation time because the dryer kills microorganisms .

In January this year, DOST installed the first solar tunnel device in Cagayan at Minanga, Gonzaga.

Led by Gonzaga Mayor Carlito F. Pentecostes and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Director Urdujah A. Tejada, the inauguration of the second set of dryers was participated in by DOST Provincial Director for Cagayan Teresita A. Tabaog, Cagayan State University-Gonzaga CEO Ferdinand C. Oli, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHILMECH) Enterprise Development Division Chief Dr. Helen F. Martinez and Rural Improvement Club President Mrs. Emelia Realica.

Mayor Pentecostes stressed the significance of the dryer in maintaining clean and hygienic products in the market. He mentioned that drying along the roadside will now be strictly prohibited. This is in accordance to the aim of the province to bring back to market the trademark “Gonzaga’s Best”. He has also mentioned that the use of the dryer will greatly benefit the people of Caroan as it will help them dry their fish products quickly and cleanly.

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Global interest on functional foods is ramping up and the Philippines is expected to catch on to this trend, said an official from the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST- FNRI). Yet these foods should come with valid health claims that are government approved and market accepted, he stressed.

Mario V. Capanzana, PhD, director of FNRI, spoke on the topic during the 62nd Annual Convention of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science (PhilAAS) held last September at Pearl Manila Hotel with the theme “Nutritional and Functional Food for Health and Wellness.” In his presentation titled “Functional Foods: Global Trends and Issues,”

At the convention, Dr. Capanzana revealed that functional foods, valued at US$ 168 B in the global market, is part of the new “health and wellness” market segment which also includes fortified foods, organic foods, traditional herbal products, and slimming products, among others.

Also called nutraceuticals, functional foods, as defined by the International Life Sciences Institute-North America, are those containing physiologically active food components, thus providing health benefits other than basic nutrition. Functional foods also refer to products isolated or purified from foods and generally sold in medicinal form like pills, or products that serve as supplement diets such as herbs. Some examples are rice, sotanghon noodles, coconut, malunggay, bitter gourd, sweet potato, taro, fruits, nata de coco, achara, and legumes that exhibit antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-allergenic properties.

What are lacking but necessary, according to the FNRI director, are regulations which will protect the public from false and misleading claims yet, will not put a dent on trade. “We need to develop functional foods with acceptable health claims,” said Dr. Capanzana. To establish these health claims, he emphasized, clinical studies, biological or animal studies, in vitro studies which involve isolated cells, molecules and other organism components, and epidemiological studies which involve assessment of links between food and diseases, should be looked into.


According to the European Food Information Council, consumers must have a clear understanding of, and a strong confidence level in the scientific criteria used to document health effects and claims.


Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, another DOST agency, echoed Dr. Capanzana’s statement. “There needs to be a global framework that cuts across countries,” he declared in his presentation titled “Health Claims and Functional Foods: A Global View” during the PhilAAS Convention.


Dr. Montoya suggested that before buying any functional food or product, consumers should get information on product safety, the amount of beneficial ingredients present in the food, whether the herbs and other ingredients were tested for government approval, and nutritional benefits, among others.


Global trends in regulations actually point to the necessity for a broad range of safe ingredient and sufficient information about the foods, as well as globally recognized manufacturing standards and appropriate technical requirements, among others. Dr. Capanzana added that we also need to look at the increasing number and variety of supplements in the market for over-the-counter purchase.


“We do not know how many spoonfuls of a functional food should we eat to have enough amount of nutrients, or how many capsules or tablet should we take per day,” stated Academician Dr. Evelyn Mae Mendoza of the National Academy of Science and Technology, a DOST advisory body, during her talk on “Functional Foods of the Philippines.”
“Let food be thy medicine,“ the FNRI head intoned as he expressed the need for government, the academe, and the local food industry to join hands in solving the issues related to functional food.


The current surge of interest in functional foods is driven by several factors. Among these are globalization, urbanization, science and emerging technologies, the global aging population, increased health care costs, changing regulations, and business opportunities provided by functional foods. The new risk factors involved in strokes and heart attacks also contribute to this upward trend. Around the world, guidelines and regulations on functional foods are now being developed, with Japan leading the way for such efforts. The others are China, Brazil, Brunei, Israel, Estonia, Vietnam, Laos, Russia, Thailand, Venezuela, Vietnam, UK, and Cambodia to name a few.



Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, director of the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, explains the necessity for valid health claims on functional foods backed by scientific studies during his talk on “Functional Foods: Global Trends and Issues” at the 62nd Annual Convention of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science last September at Pearl Manila Hotel. (Photo by Gerry Palad, S & T Media Service, DOST-STII)

 


Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, shares with convention participants and the media what the public should know about or look out for in a functional food before buying it during the 62nd Annual Convention of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science. Among others, he cited food safety and government approval as essential information which consumers should look for. (Photo by Gerry Palad, S & T Media Service, DOST-STII)



The Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science 62nd Annual Convention unreels at the Pearl Manila Hotel in Manila from September 12-13, 2013 with the theme “Nutritional and Functional Food for Health and Wellness”. (Photo by Gerry Palad, S & T Media Service, DOST-STII).