MSSD’s Statement on DSWD Educational Assistance Program

Gusto pong linawin ng Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) na HINDI nito saklaw ng isasagawang educational assistance ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Ang MSSD ay hindi kasama sa mga regional field offices ng DSWD, kundi isang hiwalay na ahensya ng gobyerno na bahagi po ng Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Bilang hiwalay na ahensya, ang MSSD ay mayroong sariling programang tumutugon sa pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral na kabilang sa mahihirap na pamilya. Ito ay tinatawag na Angat Bangsamoro: Kabataan Tungo sa Karunungan Program (ABaKa).
Nagsimula ang implementasyon ng programang ito noong 2020. Sa ilalim ng programang ito, ang mga kwalipikadong benepisyaryong mag-aaral ay maaring makatanggap ng sumusunod na educational subsidy:

Paano ba sumali sa ABaKa Program?

Sundin ang mga sumusunod na hakbang sa aplikasyon:

1. Ang mga kwalipikadong mag-aaral ay maaaring makipag-ugnayan sa mga MSSD

Municipal Social Welfare Officers (MSWOs) ng kanilang munisipyo para sa pagsusuri at balidasyon.

2. Dalhin ang mga sumusunod na dokumento:

• Valid identification card o ID ng benepisyaryong mag-aaral o ng kanyang

magulang/guardian.

• Enrollment form/Certificate of Registration/valid na ID ng mag-aaral galing sa eskwelahan. Ang mga College o Voc-Tech na mag-aaral ay kailangang magsumite ng Statement of Account.

• Barangay Certificate o Certificate na nagpapatunay na nangangailangan ang mag-aaral ng pinansyal na tulong

• Certificate of Indigency (para sa mga mag-aaral mula sa pribadong eskwelahan).

Paalala: Lahat ng mga hindi orihinal na kopya ng mga dokumento ay kinakailangang may tatak na “Certified True Copy”. Ang mga orihinal na kopya ng mga dokumento ay kailangang ipresenta sa social worker ng munisipyo o lungsod para sa pagsusuri at balidasyon.

3. Magsasagawa ng balidasyon ang social worker sa mga natanggap na dokumento at ng interbyu o maikling panayam upang masagutan ang General Intake Sheet at Score Sheet. Maaari ring magpunta ang social worker sa mismong bahay ng benepisyaryo kung kinakailangan.

4. Hintayin ang resulta ng aplikasyon kung ang mag-aaral ay kwalipikadong mapabilang sa programa.

Sinu-sino ang prayoridad na mabigyan educational assistance ng MSSD sa ilalim ng ABaKa Program?

• Kabilang sa mahirap, bulnerable, at may maliit na kitang pamilya;

• Working student;

• Naka-enrol sa pampublikong paaralan, vocational-technical schools, state

universities and colleges o (SUCs);

• Naka-enrol sa pribadong paaralan ngunit nasa ilalim ng scholarship program o walang kakayahan ang pamilyang magpaaral;

• Mula sa pamilyang lubos na apektado ng kaguluhan o kalamidad; at

• Kapamilya ng isang breadwinner na nadeport o nakabalik sa BARMM o Pilipinas.

Sino ang mga hindi kwalipikadong mapabilang sa ABaKa program?

• Mga mag-aaral na kabilang sa pamilya na benepisyaryo ng Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Ano ang batayan ng score sheet o ranking system?

Dahil sa pagkakaroon ng limitadong pondo at kakayahan ng ahensya, ang ABaKa Program ay mayroong sinusunod na scoring at ranking system na syang batayan sa pagpili ng kwalipikadong benepisyaryo base sa mga sumusunod:

Hindi hihigit sa dalawang (2) kwalipikadong bata bawat pamilya ang maaring mag-apply sa programa.

Muli po, hindi po kasali ang MSSD sa educational assistance ng DSWD. Bagkus, mayroong sariling programa ang MSSD na tinatawag na ABaKa, na may sariling kwalipikasyon para sa mga benepisyaryo, halaga ng tulong, at proseso ng pag-apply.

Maraming salamat po.

DOST PCIEERD launches search for new TikTok STARs

Aiming to elevate its science and technology campaigns, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) is on the lookout for new social media STARs or Science and Technology Advocates of Research.

In partnership with international social media platform TikTok, DOST PCIEERD launched the Pinoy Science STAR competition to look for the next generation science communicators who will have the opportunity to communicate the researches supported by the Council.

The STAR Competition is open to the public, 18 years old and above, resident of the Philippines and with an active Tiktok account.

The application will run from August 22 to September 22, 2022.

Ten winners will be chosen to be the main content creators of the Pinoy Science social media channels and feature PCIEERD’s projects and programs and other S&T and research and development (R&D) initiatives.

Promotional coupons amounting to P110,000 (around 2000 USD) and Tiktok and Pinoy Science exclusive merchandise also await the winners.

“At a time when everyone is barraged with so many alterative channels choices to engage, we should see to it that we supply social media with high-quality research-based information. Science and technology provide understanding and clarity to the pressing challenges w face today.” PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit said.

In October 2020, PCIEERD forged a collaboration with Tiktok Philippines to further promote scientific innovations to the public.

For more details about the Pinoy Science STAR Competition, visit https://bit.ly/PCIEERDSTARCamp2022.

Solidum urges “earthly” public servants to have the “heart”

Newly installed secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr. talked about the “earthly” attributes of public servants in his message during his first official flag ceremony as the new head of the department at the DOST Science Complex in Bicutan, Taguig City on 15 August 2022.

Popularly known as the country’s “fault finder,” Secretary Solidum rose from the ranks starting at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) in an entry-level position as Science Research Specialist I in 1984. He then became its director in 2003 and eventually became DOST Undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in 2017 and Undersecretary for Scientific and Technical Services in 2019.

On August 12, Malacañang finally announced his cabinet appointment after more than a month of waiting.

“When I was asked to accept the position of Secretary of Science, nagsabi naman ako ng oo agad. Hindi naman po talaga ako nangangarap sa anumang posisyon, but the Lord is guiding and shaping me [all along] for the opportunities that have been given to me,” explained Solidum.

During his speech, Solidum shared with the DOST personnel gathered that morning his guiding principles as a public servant. His acrostics E. A. R. T. H, where “E” stands for excellence, was spelled out by which he said that each person should have the formal education required and then to strive for excellence.

However, he also pointed out that one should also continuously learn from other people, even from peers and subordinates.

“Ako po gusto kong matuto kahit kanino kasi one cannot claim that he knows everything,” quipped Solidum.

He followed it with the letter “A”, which stands for aligned ambition. He said that ambition is important but it needs to be grounded on the right perspectives.

Solidum emphasized that public servants should seek first to achieve their organizational aspirations before personal pursuits. “Ang main mandate ng DOST is to provide a central direction in science, technology, and innovation so that our economy will be developed, the well-being of the Filipino people will be upgraded.

Moreover, the geologist from Odiongan, Romblon shared that one must learn to respect differing opinions and should relate to others. While the letter “T” means being a teacher or a mentor to everyone and must trust each other. “I cannot do things alone,” Solidum said. “I have to delegate these to as many people as possible and vice-versa down the line. But trust is always gained if we do this properly, madali pong magtiwala.”

And finally, he said the letter “H” stands for the heart. He said that to be a public servant, one must have the heart and the passion to serve with excellence. Solidum underscored that to be excellent, one must be happy at what he does. Thus he suggested that the letter “H” can be put in front to become HEART.

Solidum exclaimed that “bigyan niyo ng buhay ang inyong trabaho na ginagawa. Masaya tayo dapat dito palagi.”

When he asked which of the words are the most important, he said that the heart and passion are the two most important. “Because these would lead you to better things, these would lead you to excel and relate to others properly. Puso ang kailangan natin sa ating trabaho and I think DOST has that but we need to work together.”

He also challenged all the DOST personnel to be bold about all the outcomes of the programs and projects that the Department is supporting. “DOST must be bold enough to claim that we will create jobs and we will improve a certain percentage of the productivity of the industry.”

He highlighted that the Science Department should claim what it promised so that it is forced to produce these numbers. “Unless DOST can do that,” Solidum averred. “Mananatili tayong nasa background lang and all the other departments will be at the front.”

He ended up his talk on DOST making a big impact on the lives of every Filipino by working closely together and generating the numbers in the future – One DOST for everyone.

Currently, DOST has a plethora of research and development programs geared toward spurring economic growth through science, technology, and innovation. It also established various industry and community level assistance to improve productivity and societal protection from poverty, sickness, and disasters. (30) Joy M. Lazcano, DOST-STII, S&T Media Service

IPOPHL boosts IP enforcement in Mindanao

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is holding an “Intellectual Property (IP) Workshop for Law Enforcement Agents and Public Prosecutors” in Cagayan De Oro from August 17 to August 19, 2022 as part of the Office’s broader work to improve enforcement strategies across the country.
To be conducted by IPOPHL’s IP Rights Enforcement Office (IEO), the workshop provides an opportunity for law enforcement officers and public prosecutors to know more about IP law, trends and enforcement best practices that will help them protect the province’s markets from counterfeit goods and piracy.
The learning event will also provide a product identification workshop to help participants better identify counterfeit goods.

“Since the start of the year, IPOPHL has been going around the country, particularly in strategic locations across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, to connect with law enforcement officers, prosecutors and other agents who are critical in the enforcement ecosystem,” Officer-in-Charge Director Ann N. Edillon said.

“IEO’s capacity-building efforts seek to enhance the support for IP protection in areas where economies are rapidly expanding. To sustain the momentum of this growth toward recovery, we need to build an environment where innovators, creators and entrepreneurs are confident in the safety of their current and future IP assets from unfair business practices. These workshops hope to help create this safe place for IP rights holders and redound to benefits to society,” Edillon added.

IEO is also pushing for the establishment of Anti-Counterfeit and Anti-Piracy Policies (ACAPP) across all local government units (LGUs) and universities to deepen IP respect across the county.

An ACAPP encourages all government workers to be aware of the harms of counterfeiting and piracy to business, livelihoods and the economy. It also aims to ensure that the policies and actions government offices issue are compliant with existing IP laws and regulations.

To date, five LGUs have established or are working on their ACAPP. The National Committee on IP Rights, which IPOPHL leads as acting chair, is targeting to see 50 national agencies and 18 LGUS implement their ACAPP by 2025.

“IEO will also reach out to the LGUs and Universities in Cagayan De Oro and nearby LGUs to create ACAPPs that will help boost activities in turning great ideas into real, tangible and valuable IP assets,” Edillon added. # (Hannah Dione Lucero, Media Relations Officer, Communications and Marketing Office, Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines)

DA-BFAR TO BOOST LOCAL FISH PRODUCTION

The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) has laid out its catch-up plan for the Philippine fisheries sector in a bid to help boost local production and minimize the need for fish importation this year.

The plan, which also aims to ensure fish sufficiency in the country, is a measure to address the projected annual deficit of the country’s food fish supply, which is estimated to be at 44 thousand metric tons this year. This is more than 1% short of what is needed to attain full sufficiency. In line with this, the Bureau recommends focusing on Innovation, Modernization and Intensification.

Part of the catch-up plan will involve modernizing the fishery sector. This will be achieved by improving the design and expanding the use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in strategic fishing areas in the country, mechanization of irrigation supply canals and provision of pond aeration to fish farms, and the development of a cold chain program in island municipalities to reduce post-harvest losses.

“Through the establishment of more fish aggregating devices for our fisherfolk and production of more seedstocks for the aquaculture sector, this catch-up plan seeks to unlock the hidden potentials of the Bureau, and more importantly, the fishery sector as a whole, in ensuring fish sufficiency in the country,” BFAR OIC-Director Nestor D. Domenden said.

The Bureau chief also leaned his directives towards the upgrading of the National Fish Broodstock Development Program to include not only bangus, but other high-value species such as siganids, snappers, pompano, groupers, and seabass. He also ordered the intensification of seed and fish fry production through the establishment of more hatcheries. The program aims to boost the local production of fingerlings, reduce the need for fry importation, and bring down the cost of aquaculture production. Meanwhile, the Bureau will also intensify its Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa (BASIL) program where more communal bodies of water will be sustainably stocked with marketable fish species. The Bureau will also push to optimize the operationalization of mariculture parks all over the country.

Innovation in the fishery sector will also be prioritized through the promotion of urban aquaculture and unconventional production systems such as tanks, dams, small water impounding ponds, small farm reservoirs (SFR), and natural ground level or elevated fishponds, as well as enhancing aquaculture through the use of green energy.

The catch-up plan, which the DA-BFAR is set to implement this second semester of 2022, is aligned with the policy direction of the new administration, under the guidance of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in his crucial role as the country’s Agriculture Secretary. # (Information and Fisherfolk Coordination Unit, BUREAU OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC RESOURCES, Department of Agriculture)

From Acting to Full-Fledged NIA Admistrator

NIA Central Office – The officials and employees of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) congratulate Administrator Benny D. Antiporda for being elected by the members of the NIA Board of Directors as the Agency’s new administrator during the 984^th NIA Regular Board Meeting on August 18, 2022. He is the 26^th Administrator of the Agency.

Before being the full-fledged chief of NIA, Administrator Antiporda has been appointed by then President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units (LGU) Concerns and NIA Senior Deputy Administrator. Under the term of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez, Jr., he was appointed as NIA Acting Administrator.

With the objective of intensifying the Agency’s efforts and achievements in the years to come, Administrator Antiporda expressed his goal to double up the completed irrigation projects of the Agency that can fast-track irrigation development through Public-Private and Public-Public Partnership (PPP and PUP). All of these are geared towards the provision of efficient public service, especially to the farmer-beneficiaries. Thus the #NIAparasabayan was launched to remind all NIA employees to continue doing their best in the service of the Filipino people.

Special Care-Giving Course Offered by Oxford International Education Group for Qualified Filipinos

By: Carlo Luis Candelaria

Oxford International Education Group (OIEG) has just landed in Manila to introduce its extensive portfolio of university pathway programmes and online courses focused on providing life-enhancing skills and experiences.

Oxford International Education Group also announced that it has acquired East Coast International College, Canada to offer a care giving vocational course called “Continuing Care Assistant” (CCA) to qualified Filipinos, aged 20-54 years old. The CCA program is open to people who are seeking a rewarding career in the health care sector in Nova Scotia, where employment opportunities continue to grow.

(L-R) Carlyle Lim, Regional Manager North America South East Asia Oxford International Education Group and Andy Caldwell, Chief Commercial Officer, Oxford International Education Group

In a press conference, Andy Caldwell, Chief Commercial Officer, OIEG explained the program and how it works. Graduates of the 40-week CCA caregiving course will acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to deliver appropriate and respectful care. Its blended learning approach combines technical, employability and other essential care-giving skills. Placements for successful program graduates may occur in a variety of settings such as home care, nursing homes and home for the aged.

Caldwell is confident that graduates from the program can secure jobs as soon as they finish.

“We do not believe that our students will have any problem in securing a job and a career as a CCA once they graduate from our program” he said.

He also added that the course is a vocational program and that students don’t need a college degree, but they must have completed highschool and they need to pass the interview to qualify. However, any additional qualifications can add to their application.

“This course is a vocational program, it’s a certificate program. So we’re not looking for students who’ve graduated from universities or to have a high level of education. The minimum we look for is that students have successfully completed high school. If they have additional qualifications that are related to health, social care, or similar backgrounds like nursing, it really adds to their application, but it is not a mandatory requirement… The biggest condition is about passing the interview. So students must have completed high school, but they also need to successfully pass the interview.” he said.

There is an estimated total of 32,270 Canadian dollars for the tuition and 9 month average living costs in Halifax, Nova Scotia as the student takes the course there for 40 weeks. However on average, a Continuing Care Assistant in Nova Scotia makes an annual income of 38,000 to 40,000 Canadian dollars.

Caldwell also stressed the compassionate culture or malasakit trait that is endemic in the Filipinos. “The Filipinos home grown values like deep respect for the elderly and close family ties are intrinsic traits needed for a career as a caregiver,” he added.

While thousands of Filipino caregivers provide for a better life for their families, they deliver daily committed care and attention to elderly persons from all walks of life and help bring pride to the country as hardworking professionals.

Oxford International is a unique accredited education provider dedicated to creating life-enhancing experiences for students worldwide. To learn more about the Continuing Care Assistant Program of East Coast International College, kindly visit https://oicareercolleges.com/programs/continuing-care-assistant. #

CITRONELLA ANDAS SPRAY PANLABAN SA TUMATAAS NA KASO NG DENGUE SA BANSA

Bunsod ng tumataas na kaso ng Dengue sa bansa, puspusan ngayon ang kampanya ng Puno Sagip Buhay, ang Corporate Social Responsibility ng mga kumpanyang RiCHCORP, GH Nutripharma at Binhi Biofarm na pinangungunahan ng Medical Technologist na si G. Patrick D. Roquel.

Sa isang panayam ng DWWW 774 kay G. Roquel sinabi nyang may solusyon ang kanyang kumpanya para sa lumalang kaso ng dengue sa bansa na siguradong natural o mula sa halamang gamot na makikita sa bansa.

Pagtitiyak ng Medical Technologist, na ang Citronella Andas Spray ay walang masamang epekto sa bata o sa mga taong sensitibo o may allergy. Dagdag pa nya na ang Geraniol na matatagpuan sa Citronella oil at makukuha lamang ito sa proseso ng distillation ng natural na langis mula sa Citronella. Napatunayan sa pag-aaral na ang Geraniol ay may taglay na lakas ng pagtaboy sa mga pulgas, garapata at lamok. Sang-ayon sa pag-aaral at pagsasaliksik ng kumpanya nina Roquel ay hindi lang ito nakapagtataboy kundi nagpaparalisa hanggang sa tuluyang namamatay ang lamok.

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Makikita sa label ng Citronella Andas Spray ang mga sumusunod na sangkap:

1. Cymbopogon nardus (Citronella) Water distillate

2. Ethyl Alcohol – Ethyl alcohol is used in many skincare and body care products such as makeup, moisturizers, perfumes, and fragrances as well as oral care, hair care, and in toners. It is mainly used to improve the texture of the product. This includes acting as a solvent, viscosity decreasing agent, astringent and antifoaming agent.

3. Cymbopogon nardus (Citronella) oil

4. Polysorbate 80 – is a skincare ingredient used in cosmetics and personal care products to improve the texture of products. Polysorbate 80 is used as a surfactant, emulsifier, and solubilizer, helping to produce smooth, easy to apply skincare and body care products.

5. Ceteareth-20 – As the main function of all ceteareths is to thicken and stabilize products, they are most often used in personal care products, including hair dye, facial moisturizer, hair conditioner, sunscreen, acne treatments, exfoliants, cleansers, and anti-aging treatments.

6. Cocamide DEA – Cocamide DEA, a chemically-modified form of coconut oil used as a foaming agent or thickener, is used in many personal care products, such as shampoos, conditioners, sanitizers, hand washes, hand moisturizers, bubble baths, exfoliants, bath scrubs and bath oils.

7. FD & C Yellow #5 (Cl-19140) – FD&C and D&C are the terms used for colour additives that have been approved and deemed safe for use in food, drugs and cosmetics, or just drugs and cosmetics.

Taong 2019 nang inilabas nila itong Citronella ANDAS, kasagsagan umano ng pagtaas na umabot sa 200 thousand ang dengue infection o kaso sa bansa at nasa dalawang libo ang nasawi.

Payo ni Roquel sa mga kababayan ang manatiling maagbantay sa kalusugan. Tiyaking gumamit ng mga de-kalidad na produkto at kinilala ng FDA. Sinigurado naman nito na ang kanilang produkto ay dumaan sa masusing proseso mula sa pagtatanim, pagpapatuyo, sayentipikong pagproseso hanggang sa botelyang makikita na sa merkado. Patunay nito ang mga Sertipiko ng mga 3rd party companies dito at sa labas ng bansa maging mga ahensya ng pamahalaan tulad ng PNRI na nagpapatunay na hindi kontaminado ang kanilang mga sangkap o produkto. #

Manila Water assures adequate water supply for school opening

East Zone concessionaire Manila Water has assured the public that there will be
adequate supply to meet the water requirements as schools are slated to reopen
on August 22. Despite the pandemic and the scorching heat this summer, Manila Water continues to provide 24/7 safe and reliable supply to more than 7 million customers in its concession area in Eastern Metro Manila and Rizal Province.

Supply augmentation projects completed
For the past two years since the pandemic swept the country, Manila Water
continued to implement projects that would augment water supply in case the level of Angat Dam continues to fall below the minimum operating level. The Cardona Water Treatment Plant, which takes in water from the central portion of Laguna Lake, has been completed and can provide an additional 100 million liters per day (MLD) particularly to the towns of Rizal. An additional 20 MLD can also be sourced from Marikina River as the Marikina Portable Water Treatment Plant has recently been completed. Tapping groundwater via deep wells remains to be a viable alternative to augment supply with more than 60 deep wells ready to be operated in different parts of East Zone and Rizal which will produce a capacity of 100 MLD.

Emergency reservoirs were also constructed in various schools and are ready to
be commissioned in times of emergencies.

Technical assistance for schools
With more than 1,300 schools within its service areas, Manila Water also began
assisting maintenance officials of the different schools in the checking of rest
rooms, faucets, and handwashing areas to ensure adequate supply and good
quality of water for the use of students, school officials and faculty. Manila Water engineers are also checking the condition of the schools’ water meters and at the same time conducting pressure tests to ensure that water is not only available but with sufficient pressure. Manila Water Corporate Communications Head Dittie Galang shares that regular sampling and water potability testing are also conducted to make sure that the quality of water passes the stringent requirements of the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water of the Department of Health. “It has always been Manila Water’s commitment to ensure that vital institutions, such as schools, are provided with ample safe water supply and effective wastewater and sanitation services all year round. Coming from two years of online classes, we took the initiative, ahead of any government program, to do a more extensive assessment of the water supply and wastewater management situation in schools in the East Zone,” added Galang.

Ensuring road safety for students
As Manila Water continues to implement pipelaying and pipe replacement activities within its service areas, it works with the various barangays and local government units to ascertain that work sites and project areas, especially those located near schools, are properly barricaded, boarded up and safety signs are installed to prevent any accidents.

Support to Brigada Eskwela
Ever since the government launched the Brigada Eskwela program in 2003, Manila Water has been an active supporter of the DepEd program, constructing drinking fountains and wash areas in coordination with the Manila Water Foundation besides lending volunteer support in the cleaning, painting and rehabilitation of school rooms of various schools. # (MWC Corporate Communications)

PhilSA, DOST-ASTI, BSP kick off financial inclusion partnership through satellite tech

(15 August 2022, Quezon City) The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), the Department of Science and Technology Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) have taken the first steps toward financial inclusivity through satellite internet.

On 28 and 29 July, technical teams of PhilSA, DOST-ASTI, and BSP initiated the test deployment of the satellite internet service provided by iOne Resource, Inc. in two rural banks in Batangas–The Progressive Bank of Malvar and the Rural Bank of Cuenca. The said banks have earlier been identified by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to be situated in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs), where installation of additional terrestrial networks to boost connectivity may not be feasible.

The provision of technical support to BSP is in line with PhilSA’s mandate to enable other government agencies or departments, as well as the private sector, to perform their duties with the use of space science and technology applications and space data. “PhilSA and DOST-ASTI will process data to look at the network performance against the actual connectivity needs of the banks. Information from these reports will be utilized by BSP as we move this partnership forward,” PhilSA Space Business Development Division Officer-in-Charge Ms. Ma. Victoria Gazmin-Basto said.

A Weather and Performance Monitoring System (WPMS) apparatus, developed by DOST-ASTI, was set up at locations near the two banks to gather data. The WPMS is equipped with a network performance monitoring device connected to the satellite internet user equipment deployed at the Progressive Bank of Malvar and the Rural Bank of Cuenca. The said device measures network parameters such as upload and download speeds, throughput, latency, and jitter, among others. In addition, the WPMS consists of weather stations to simultaneously observe weather conditions such as rain, temperature, humidity, and pressure. The collected data will then be analyzed to examine and evaluate the performance and reliability of the satellite internet service under local weather conditions.

“DOST-ASTI welcomes this collaboration with PhilSA and BSP to demonstrate ASTI’s locally-developed technologies in applications that benefit the Filipino people. Aside from the WPMS, we are exploring how we can take our other homegrown technologies out of our labs and be of service, such as in bridging the digital divide and in improving financial inclusivity,” DOST-ASTI Senior Science Research Specialist Bryan Paler said.

In the future, DOST-ASTI plans on harnessing the gains from the partnership by further educating people about financial literacy. “Aside from doing research on the efficiency and effectiveness of satellite internet services for banks, we also plan on using digital TV technology and internet infrastructure that we are developing to teach people in the unserved and underserved areas about financial literacy. We don’t just plan to equip them with the technology, we want to teach them how to use it for their betterment,” said DOST-ASTI engineer John Chris Kwong.

Out of 1,634 municipalities in the country, 33% or 533 municipalities are still unbanked and do not have access to financial inclusion services. “We believe in the capability of satellite technology to enhance connectivity in rural areas, thereby expanding the capacity of banks to provide digital financial services and promote greater financial inclusion in unserved and underserved areas,” BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said.

With enhanced connectivity in rural areas, digital financial services such as remittances, bills payment, and opening transaction accounts, among others, would be more inclusive and accessible.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among PhilSA, DOST-ASTI, and BSP to promote access to high-quality financial services powered by internet connectivity is underway. This effort will further enable digital inclusivity as transactions and services move to online platforms. # (Public Relations and Information Division, Philippine Space Agency)