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DOST to launch nationwide disaster mitigation program PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 14 June 2012 15:38

 

The Department of Science and Technology is set to put into place a nationwide disaster mitigation system that will help key agencies and personalities make informed decisions to save lives and properties.

 

Called NOAH or the National Operational Assessment of Hazards and Risks, the program is designed to serve as sentinel that will address the serious challenges brought by extreme hazard events.

 

“The NOAH Project will enable the government to address the serious challenges brought by extreme hazard events,” DOST Secretary Mario Montejo said. “We will apply advanced S&T tools, such as enhanced vulnerability maps and a shortened six-hour monitoring and warning system for communication along the major river basins.”

 

NOAH will have seven components that will address major needs in various disaster situations. These include Hydromet sensors development, DREAM-Lidar, FloodNET, Hazards information media, Landslide hazards mapping, Doppler system development, and Storm surge inundation mapping.

 

With the DOST on the lead, NOAH brings together experts from 21 institutions in close collaboration, including  DOST’s PAGASA, PHIVOLCS, Advanced Science and technology Institute, and Science and Technology Information Institute; Department of Interior and Local Government; University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences and Department and College of Geodetic Engineering; Smart Communications, Sun Cellular, and Globe Telecommunications.

 

In a country frequently visited by typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, some of them highly-destructive, the NOAH project comes as helpful as Noah’s ark in biblical times. Natural hazards inflict loss of lives and costly damage to property, with economic losses amounting to billions of pesos each year. Moreover, the continued development in the lowlands and the rapid growth of the population contribute to the damage to infrastructure and human losses.

 

“This project is so far the most advanced measure implemented by the government in disaster mitigation,” added Sec. Montejo. (Framelia V. Anonas, S&T Media Service)

 
 
DOST holds first ICT job fair for persons with disabilities PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 13 June 2012 17:42

The Department of Science and Technology steps forward for PWDs or persons with disabilities as it marks this year’s National ICT Month with the first ever ICT job fair for PWDs. Spearheaded by DOST’s Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) in partnership with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) and SM Supermalls, the job fair has the theme “ICT: Enabling People, an ICT Job and Skills Fair for PWDs” to be held June 14, 2012 at the Cyberzone, SM North EDSA Annex. The event is open to the public, especially PWDs, from 10:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M.

The ICT job fair aims to provide a venue for job matching qualified PWDs and employers and to showcase the latest IT-enabled productivity tools for differently-abled folks. The job fair likewise gives an opportunity for employers in the ICT industry to appreciate the talents and capabilities of PWDs, as well as to inspire participants that anything is possible with ICT, including giving opportunities for PWDs to make a niche in their chosen ICT-related careers.

 

Undersecretary Louis Casambre of the DOST-ICTO and Undersecretary Alicia R. Bala of the Department of Social Welfare and Development will share their thoughts on this unique program that provides equal opportunities for Filipino PWDs.

 

The ICT job fair will also feature exhibits of ICT companies, demonstrations on technologies enabling PWDs to be more productive, and testimonials from PWD ICT professionals that aim to inspire other PWDs to pursue ICT-related professions.

 

The DOST-NCDA-SM Supermalls ICT job fair is a collaboration among various partners in government, private sector and people’s organizations.

 

DOST-ICTO is the Philippine Government’s lead agency on ICT related matters. Its primary thrusts are in the ICT Industry Development, eGovernment, ICT policy development, Internet for all, and Cybersecurity. (Roy Espiritu, S&T Media Service)
 
Dengue offensive: DOST gives 435,000 mosquito OL traps to all public school classrooms PDF Print E-mail
Friday, 01 June 2012 08:01

In a bid to fight dengue, the Department of Science and Technology is distributing some 435,000 Ovicidal-Larvicidal Traps or OL Traps to all public elementary and secondary schools nationwide before the rainy season comes.

“DOST will provide OL Trap kits to every public school classroom all over the country,” DOST Sec. Mario Montejo said. “OL Traps prevent the larvae from maturing into dengue-carrying mosquitoes, thus we aim to contain and reduce the spread of the disease in places where mosquitoes congregate and breed during daytime, like classrooms."

The OL Trap is a simple technology that kills the eggs and larvae of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries the dengue virus. The black container attracts mosquitoes to lay their eggs on the lawanit strip soaked with the OL pellet-water solution. The OL pellets, made of organic and non-toxic material, attract mosquitoes and kill their young, in effect reducing the number of the next generation of mosquitoes.

DOST’s school-based OL Trap program intends to reduce the number of mosquito population in schools and communities, and subsequently lower dengue incidents, through the use of the OL Trap.

“In this program, DOST works very closely with the health, education, and local government departments,” informed Sec. Montejo. “Each agency has a very important role in the program to significantly reduce the number of dengue cases among our school children.”

The program has identified 31 priority areas that will receive the first batch of OL Traps totaling some 435,000 kits nationwide.  DOST produced the initial batch of traps and has transferred the production of OL pellets to a private entrepreneur.
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