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The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPO) recently issued the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 10055, otherwise known as the Technology Transfer Act of 2009.

The Technology Transfer Act is a landmark law that would usher the growth of the country’s innovation potential through efficient transfer of technologies, specifically those funded by public funds.

The IRR, contained in the Joint DOST-IPO Administrative Order 02-2010, was jointly signed on August 19 by DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo and IPO Director General Ricardo R. Blancaflor in their capacities as chair and co-chair, respectively, of the Joint IRR Drafting Committee. The IRR took effect on September 8.

The IRR underlines the main intent of the law, which is lodging ownership of the intellectual property rights (IPRs) to research and development institutes (RDIs), by setting parameters on copyright ownership and recovery of the IPR ownership.

To facilitate commercialization of IPRs through spin offs, the IRR provides for the rules of the Fairness Opinion Report and the Fairness Opinion Board. The Fairness Opinion Report is an alternative to the rigid government procurement process which usually hampers efficient transfer of technologies to the market.

Common provisions, involving stipulations in the research funding agreement, protection of undisclosed information, and rules on disclosure are also included in the IRR.

In terms of revenue sharing, the provisions in the research agreement or the employer-employee contract shall govern. In any case, however, the term revenue shall be defined in the agreement and where practicable, non-monetary revenues will be converted to cash.

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“Ulod sa bunga sa lanka,” technically the jackfruit fruit borer (Glyphodes caesalis Walker), is becoming a major insect pest, especially in Eastern Visayas. The fruit borer causes about 30‒40% damage in jackfruit from flower bud formation up to fruit ripening.

With the move to expand the jackfruit production areas in the region, this borer may potentially become an expensive thorn in the side of jackfruit growers. Fortunately, nature itself presents the solution - Metarhizium anisopliae (Metch) Sorokin.

M. anisopliae is a fungus known worldwide and proven to control various pests. This prompted local researchers Dr. Carlos S. de la Cruz of the Department of Agriculture – Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Center (DA-RIARC) and Dr. Ruben M. Gapasin of the Visayas State University (VSU) to test different Metarhizium isolates against the jackfruit borer.

After isolating the fungus from various infected insect pests, De la Cruz and Gapasin found that Metarhizium isolates from sweet potato weevils most effectively controlled the jackfruit fruit borer.

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President Benigno S. Aquino III honored the country’s outstanding public servants, among them the head of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), in a rites held in Malacañan Palace October 15. The awarding coincided with 110th anniversary of the Philippine Civil Service (CSC).

Phivolcs Director Renato U. Solidum received this year’s Lingkod Bayan Award for his meritorious contributions in the field of disaster risk reduction. According to his citation, Solidum was conferred the prestigious government service award “for raising the bar of disaster risk reduction in a country prone to volcano, earthquake, and tsunami disasters; for initiating a mapping program that compiled historical tsunami information shown in the form of hazards maps for use by local governments in tsunami-prone areas.”

In his response, Solidum said, “I am happy and honored to be one of the recipients of the award because this is the highest honor that a public servant could ever receive.”
“This is the result of all the things that we do here in Phivolcs,” he added. Through Solidum’s efforts in disaster risk mitigation, Phivolcs has earned the nod of many international funding agencies to extend its support in upgrading its monitoring facilities among the agency’s 59 seismic stations around the country.

According to Solidum, the tsunami hazard mapping has already covered 100 per cent of the country’s coastline. This historic tsunami information gathering is part of the bigger program in tsunami hazard mapping that includes physical and numerical modeling of the possible tsunami-prone areas in the country, he said.

Also under Solidum’s watch, Phivolcs initiated the formulation of Tsunami Hazard Mapping ahead of the tsunami incident that left 4,812 deaths in Phuket, Thailand in 2004.

Among Phivolcs regular programs include the conduct of series of tsunami drills, apart from the compulsory earthquake drills on schools, on communities that are most likely to be hit by the said natural disaster.

Other recipients of the Lingkod ng Bayan Award were Technical Sgt. Salvador S. Buenaobra Jr. (Philippine Air Force [PAF]-15th Strike Wing, Cavite); Pablo Y. Lasprilla Jr. (PAF-410th Maintenance Wing, Pampanga); Thomas G. Aquino (Department of Trade and Industry, Makati City); Teodosia S. Bernaldez (Loboc Local Government Unit, Bohol); Col. Lope C. Dagoy (Philippine Army-85th Infantry Battalion, Taguig City); Dr. Fe A. Yap (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, Manila); Regional Public Affairs Office’s Trees for Books/Books for Trees Project (DENR-Cordillera Administrative Region); and Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (Pampanga Agricultural College, Pampanga).

Spearheading the annual awarding is CSC which is tasked to honor and recognize significant works and initiatives of public officials and employees in the government service. Other awards conferred were the Pagasa and the Dangal ng Bayan Awards.

In a short telephone interview, Solidum said he shares the honor to his fellow public servants in Phivolcs and DOST. He said that this award would not be possible if not for the people who toiled with him in coming up with projects that are very essential to the lives of Filipinos. (Joy M. Lazcano, S&T Media Service)


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The Philippines, through the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), will host the 3rd Project Review Meeting in Tagaytay and Manila on October 18-20, 2010. The collaborative project under review which focuses on thermal spray coating is initiated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations through its Sub-committee on Materials Science Technology in partnership with the government of India (ASEAN- INDIA) in advancing surface science and engineering.

Thermal spraying is a coating process in which melted (or heated) materials are sprayed onto a surface. The thermally-sprayed ceramic-based coating is a cost-effective technology that repairs damaged surfaces and improves performance and life span of equipment. Among its perceived benefits are versatility (almost any metal, ceramic or plastic can be sprayed); processing speed (spray rates range from 3 to 60 lb/h depending on the material and spray system); and thickness range (coating thickness range from .001 to 100in).

Participating countries in the project include India, Indonesia, Malaysia Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Representatives from other ASEAN member-states will also participate in the review that will serve as a venue to share technology updates among participating countries through workshops and forums.

Funded by the ASEAN-INDIA Cooperation Fund under India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the three-day meeting includes an international forum on thermally sprayed coating on Oct. 18 at Hotel Dominique, Tagaytay. The forum aims to present the latest developments on surface engineering and acquaint participants on various processes associated with the technology. Project review is slated on Oct. 19 and a tour of the plasma laboratory of Dr. Henry Ramos at the National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines-Diliman is scheduled on Oct. 20.