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The current CoViD19 problem caused by the SARS CoV2 virus has raised and continue to raise issues on how programs and strategies can better control and prevent the escalation of the problem. With the recent declarations of the World Health Organization that COVID 19 is already a global pandemic and the implementation of community quarantine and subsequently extended community quarantine initially involving the National Capital Region and eventually the whole of Luzon, we expect greater urgency for countries to implement programs and strategies to stem and arrest this epidemic. Almost all of these countries, and the Philippines is no exception, have proposed novel and sometimes radical measures as possible solutions. Almost all of them, however, are not based on scientific studies but largely on expert opinion and what we think worked and did not work during the SARS problem in 2003 and the pandemic influenza global pandemic in 2009.

Being caught in the midst of this ongoing epidemic and the consequent rapid rush of research institutions, both in the private and the public sector to find the magic cure for this disease, whether it be a drug or a vaccine to prevent transmission and infection of the virus, the research community should galvanize and unify efforts to spearhead researches that will address current health issues brought about by the CoViD 19 problem.

PASAY CITY – The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL) successfully held the Science Legislative Forum on Single-Use Plastics last 27 January 2020 at Hotel Jen, Pasay City. The forum was attended by 70 participants from the senate, house committee, government agencies, local government units, private sector and the academe. This forum aims to gather experts and concerned stakeholders to provide inputs on our understanding of plastics, and in particular, single-use plastic; to suggest directions in research and development, and propose strategies regarding the management of single-use plastics.

In her opening remarks, Academician Rhodora V. Azanza, NAST PHL President, highlighted the immense contribution of single-use plastics in the Philippines’ plastic waste pollution problem, owing to the sachet culture of Filipinos. However, the role of single-use plastics in the industry and the difficulty of a complete ban is undeniable. She called for the cooperation of the different sectors of the government, academe and the industry to fight against the exponential growth of plastic waste.

QUEZON CITY - The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) conducted the awarding ceremony of the 2019 DOST Intellectual Property Awards at Eastwood Richmonde Hotel on December 10, 2019. Awardees from the different DOST agencies and their guests attended the event.

The DOST and the NAST PHL started giving incentives for internationally published researches in 2013 as part of the DOST-funded project entitled “Evaluation and Improvement of the Research Publication and IP Productivity of the DOST R&D Institutes”. In 2014, granted patents and registered utility models of DOST technology generators were added to the scope of the awards.

This project supports the DOST’s goal of developing and improving the quality of research and development projects in the country and monitoring/ evaluation of their R&D results. It also envisions the improvement of the pool of scientific knowledge to help advance science and technology in the country.