North Luzon displays best S&T exhibits in 5-day fair

By Ma. Cristina C. Arzadon

Wednesday 1st of August 2012

BATAC CITY, Ilocos Norte, Aug 1 (PIA) -- The best of Northern Luzon’s science and technology exhibits have been placed in one roof through the five-day technology fair at the state-run Mariano Marcos State University theater.

The fair, which runs from July 30 to Aug. 3, brought together dozens of technology exhibits from Regions 1 and 2 and the Cordilleras to showcase science principles and present relevant technologies through various scheduled briefings.

Organized by the Department of Science and Technology, the cluster fair had the theme: Science, Technology and Innovation, working together for growth and development.

Ma. Lourdes Orijola, DOST assistance secretary, said developing local technologies is the government’s road to economic take off.

Orijola attended the event on behalf of DOST Secretary Mario Montejo.

“Through the cluster fair, we will be able to show that local technologies work and are cost-effective,” she said.

Orijola said communities have made use of local technology in developing some of the most successful products that have penetrated the national and global markets ranging from fruit crops like dragon fruit and banana, to innovative materials like water purifier, automated hot water, multi-purpose solar dryer and solar power among other things.

“The fair highlights small and medium enterprises’ profitability and competitiveness with the intervention of DOST,” she said.

As part of its interactive program, the DOST scheduled various forums throughout the five-day event namely: dragon fruit processing, delaying of ripening of banana, water purifier, automated hot water treatment for mangoes, bamboo veneer, finger jointing technology, refrigerant recovery machine, plastic densifier, multi-purpose solar dryer and solar power generation.

The fair will end with a forum on climate change mitigation and adaptation including disaster prevention and hazard mitigation.

Reading from a speech that Secretary Montejo prepared for the fair, Orijola said the DOST’s mission is to remain relevant under extraordinary times.

The DOST recently launched Project Noah (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) to address the public’s need for accurate and timely information in the face of severe weather conditions.

Aside from providing on-time warnings on severe weather from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Project Noah will also issue warnings related to geohazard from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Over the next few months, information on the integrated flood early warning system in communities will be available along 18 major river systems in the country.

The DOST will start providing information for six river systems namely: Marikina, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Bicol, Pampanga and Agno.

The move is part of DOST's efforts to improve the country's capability to deal with disasters via “Project Noah’s” website http://noah.dost.gov.ph that allows the public to see weather developments, the amount of rainfall and potential flooding in a particular area. (ANL/CCA-PIA1 Ilocos Norte)