by Elemarie L. Rosellon
18-Aug-2010 SEARCA News Release
SEARCA hosted this year’s Research and Development Symposium and Awarding Ceremonies of the Los Baños Science Community Foundation, Inc. (LBSCFI) on 17 July. The event was part of LBSCFI’s celebration of the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) in the Philippines, themed Filipinnovation: The Way Forward.
The symposium and awarding ceremonies had as keynote speaker the Honorable Mr. Mario G. Montejo, new Secretary of Science and Technology of the Philippines. Secretary Montejo highlighted the value of innovation and encouraged the scientific community to pursue scientific and technological projects that people would appreciate and benefit from. He said science must be known to ordinary folks, and that they must understand how it can bring the progress of the nation.
“We should be proud of our (Filipino) research and outputs,” said the new Secretary, who also declared in an earlier event at the National Academy for Science and Technology (NAST) that local technology works and developing local innovative capability will be the hallmark of his leadership of DOST. He noted that projects such as the all-Filipino-made Mass Transit System and windmills could take the place of imported technologies, so that the costs could be lowered by as much as five times than what the country is currently paying for.
Best research awards were conferred during the R&D Symposium. The Philippine Agriculture Resources and Research Foundation, Inc. (PARRFI) R&D Award went to Antonio J. Alcantara, Moises Dorado, Eduardo Casas and Raquel Huliganga for their research titled Performance of Anaerobic Digesters in Small-to-Medium Swine Farms in Calumpang River Watershed, Batangas, Philippines.
The Elvira O. Tan Memorial Award for Best Published Papers went to Mudjekeewis Santos, Grace Lopez, and Noel Barut for their publication titled A Pilot Study on the Genetic Variation of Easter Little Tuna (Euthynnus affinis) and to Ma. Rowena Romana-Eguia, Minoru Ikeda, Zubaida Basiao, and Nobuhiku Tanaguchi for their paper titled A Genetic Change during Mass Selection for Growth in Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L), Assessed by Microsatellite.
The new members of LBSCFI Board of Trustees were inducted into office by Secretary Montejo during the affair. They are: President – Dr. Grace Javier-Alfonso, Chancellor, University of the Philippines Open University; Vice President – Dr. Alexander R. Madrigal, Director, DOST Region IV-A; Secretary - Dr. Patricio S. Faylon, Executive Director, Philippine Council for Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Development; Treasurer – Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., SEARCA Director; and Members – Dr. Robert S. Zeigler, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute; Dr. Luis Rey I. Velasco, Chancellor, University of the Philippines Los Baños; Mr. Cesario R. Pagdilao, Officer in Charge, Philippine Council for Aquaculture and Marine Resources Research and Development; Mr. Marcial C. Amaro, Jr., Director, Environment Research and Development Bureau; and Hon. Anthony F. Genuino, Mayor of Los Baños.
Established in 1984, LBSCFI has grown from just 10 member agencies to the current 23. Its mission is to effectively collaborate and cooperate toward the creation of a model community that addresses the needs of Los Baños and similar environs through creativity and innovation.
The new leaders of the Los Baños Science Community Foundation, Inc. (LBSCFI) take their oath on 17 July 2010 during the LBSC R&D Symposium and Awarding Ceremonies held at the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Los Banos Laguna.
