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ACE + FA Enterprises, a Laguna-based maker of wooden pallets, has been saving around P 80,000 a month for one year now.

How were they able to do this? It stopped renting the services of another company and now uses its own low-cost heat treatment facility (LHTF) to disinfect its pallets.

Designed by the Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI), the LHTF provides the heat needed to kill insects and other pests infesting wood packaging materials such as wooden pallets.

The Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology (DOST-ICT Office), in partnership with Philippine Software Industry Association is currently conducting a series of Lean Startup 101 Boot Camps in different locations across the country to increase the capability of college professors in mentoring their students on how to build successful start-up companies.

The series kicked off last June 4 in Cebu City, followed by Iloilo City last June 20, and most recently in Baguio City last July 4.  

The remaining leg will be on July 18 in Cagayan de Oro City, July 21 in Quezon City, and July 25 in Davao City. This is the second straight year that ICT Office is staging this series of boot camps.

The humble bamboo has gone a long way. From being called “the poor man’s timber,” it now graces many high-end homes, hotels and offices around the world, as attractive engineered panels, floors, furniture and handicrafts.

The global market for bamboo products amounts to US$12 billion and much of this is for the engineered bamboo sector.

Australian scientists have called the water hyacinth “the world’s worst aquatic weed,” clogging rivers, dams, lakes and irrigation channels in every continent except Antarctica. It destroys aquatic environments and costs billions of dollars a year to control.

Yet, some sectors have found a use for the water hyacinths, turning these aquatic pests into a worthwhile venture churning out thousands of pesos. More specifically, they have made a livelihood out of water hyacinth processing for products such as classy wall coverings.

The National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines (NAST PHL), an advisory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) proposes the formation of a National Commission for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases under the Office of the President.

The NAST proposal was announced by Academician Antonio Miguel L. Dans, UP Manila College of Medicine Professor and member of NAST’s health sciences division, during the presentation of NAST’s 37th Annual Scientific Meeting Resolutions last July 9, 2015 at Manila Hotel.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) or lifestyle related diseases are the number one cause of death in the whole world today. Among these are heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease, and diabetes.