Cotabato City (September 20, 2017) – The Department of Science and Technology of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOST-ARMM) has started the three-day celebration of the 2017 National Science and Technology Week through a ribbon-cutting ceremony for technology exhibits at the municipal gymnasium of Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao on Monday, September 18.
Students from the Sultan Kudarat Islamic Academy can now benefit from Starbooks, the first Philippine science digital library, established by the DOST-ARMM in the town of Sultan Kudarat. The municipality was also the recipient of Project DEWS, or Deployment of Early Warning System, a device that will provide a six hour lead-time warning to vulnerable communities against impending floods..
“Aside from the DEWS and Starbooks, we have also given Sultan Kudarat the RxBox, a telemedicine device designed to provide better access to life-saving health care services in isolated and disadvantaged communities nationwide,” said DOST-ARMM secretary Myra Mangkabung during a press conference.
The media event was led by Sec. Mangkabung, Sultan Kudarat mayor Shameem Mastura, DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña, DOST undersecretary for regional operations Brenda Nazareth-Manzano and director Edgar Garcia of the DOST Technology Application and Promotion Institute.
During the opening program, Sec. Mangkabung and Mayor Mastura signed a memorandum of agreement covering projects given by DOST-ARMM to the municipality.
“Science shouldn’t be just a theory or a research paper; it should also be utilized at the grassroots level. One of the goals of DOST-ARMM is to alleviate poverty in the region,” Sec. Mangkabung said. With the theme ‘Science for People’, the celebration highlights the significant contributions, innovations, and breakthroughs of science and technology on the lives of the Filipinos towards a holistic countryside development.
The National Science and Technology Week is celebrated through Proclamation No. 169 issued in 1993. It aims at bringing science and technology closer to the people by letting them experience the vital role of science, technology, and innovation in improving the people’s quality of life, protecting the environment, and contributing to national development, particularly in poverty alleviation.
SOURCE: (Bureau of Public Information)
September 22, 2017 @ 10:20
N-BICTO-092217-239
