Archives for January 2019

True to its commitment to social responsibility, ISAT U developed a program  geared to prevent loss of lives, properties and resources due to climate change hazards specifically rain-induced landslides  and to strengthen efforts towards climate change adaptation, mitigation and  resiliency.

With a pool of faculty members who have undergone trainings with Project Rebuild of the Climate Change Commission  (CCC)  and the Department of the Interior and  Local Government (DILG), a three-year (2018-2021) program  “Capacitating Communities in Mitigating  Impacts of Climate Change (CCMICC)” was conceptualized.

Part of the CCMICC is the “REDUCING DISASTER CAUSED BY RAIN-INDUCED LANDSLIDE: TRAINING FOR COMMUNITIES AND  NON-EXPERTS Project”.

 The project  identified the Municipality of Miagao, Iloilo as the   partner Local Government Unit for implementation due to its vulnerability.  As of 2016, the Mines and  Geosciences Bureau (MGB)  Region 6 identified  Miagao as one of the municipalities in the Province of Iloilo  having many communities vulnerable to rain induced landslides.

After an exploratory talks with the local authorities of the municipality and a series of meetings with the geologists of the MGB, a site inspection and documentation of communities  in Miag-ao  with slope failures due to rain induced landslide was held on October 22-24, 2018.

The university, in collaboration with Kalinga State University   (KSU),  started conducting trainings in mitigating disaster caused by landslides to 120  non-expert individuals  in 24 barangays on November 7.

The training utilized a guidebook  and a landslide susceptibility assessment material develop by KSU.  It introduces procedures, practical techniques and technologies and involves a knowledge set easily understood by the locals.

Aside from training on risk reduction on rain-induced landslides, the project will also  conduct a vulnerability risk assessment for the enhancement of the local climate change action plan, formulate  project  proposals  geared towards  climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resiliency  to  access    climate finance  subsidy  e.g. People’s Survival Fund, initiate  the conduct of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory in the  Poblacion area of the  municipality ,  and to initiate  activities and engagements towards the possibility of green energy utilization in the Municipality of Miagao.

On December 7,  New Zealand Head of Mission Mr. Tim Stewardson with Rune Raphael Ylade and,   Ms. Gemma Regina Cunanan of the Philippine Climate Change Commission    visited the university for complete monitoring  and project evaluation .  Through the Climate Change Commission, the Project ReBuild of the New Zealand government is providing the financial support to the Municipality of Miagao for program implementation.

Miagao Mayor Macario Napulan expressed his gratitude and support to the program.  Meanwhile, according to Dr. Raul F. Muyong “this project is a testament of ISAT U’s social responsibility to help build resiliency in the community.”

In 2017, similar project was developed to help mitigate the effects of flood to the people of the Municipality of Zarraga, Iloilo which is located adjacent to Jalaur River, one of the biggest rivers in Iloilo Province.

 

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) turned over  facilities worth seven million to the University through a Memorandum of Agreement and Usufruct Agreement signed at the Research Hub on December 21, 2018. The facilities consist of machinery and equipment such as laser cutter, plasma cutter, wood router, embroidery machine, thermal former, large scale tarpaulin printer, and laptop. It is part of DTI’s Shared Services Facilities (SSFs) “Shared Services for Filipino Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs)” program, which are expected to spur the growth of micro, small, and medium scale enterprises through the university’s research and innovation.

DTI VI Regional Director Rebecca M. Rascon said that the university was chosen as beneficiary due to its accessibility and the full support of the administration, its relevance to the vision and mission of ISAT U in going for industry support through researches and in promoting the MSMEs. She also believes that not only the students will benefit from the facility but also the micro, small and medium enterprises, who will further avail of the services of ISAT-U.

Dr. Raul F. Muyong, ISAT U President, expressed his gratitude for being chosen as the project’s beneficiary. “This will help in our instruction and research especially on innovation and technology.  We are thankful that we were chosen by the DTI.” He added that “the facilities can assist our small and medium enterprises and assist in our innovation initiatives.”

The university president underscored the big advantage of the project to ISAT U. “It is very relevant since we offer engineering design. This will also help in promoting our research initiatives,” he said. Innovation and technology is part of the university’s vision and mission in helping the community. He believed that through the innovation initiatives it will help the MSMEs. “ I am sure this will help in improving lives of the people not only in the region but in the whole country,” he added.

The DTI provided the machinery and equipment for the Fabrication Laboratory at the Research Hub.

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