Eight Automatic Weather Station (AWS) units with Early Warning System (EWS) for floods and landslides were installed in four towns of Laguna namely Mabitac, Famy, Rizal and Pila. These towns are included in the list of areas susceptible to floods and landslides according to the 2009 report of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau – Department of Environment and Natural Resources (MGB – DENR). The implementation of the system ran for a year which started from July 2012 up to July 31, 2013.

As the head of the project, Prof. Nelio C. Altoveros from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics (IMSP) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and his team showcased their exhibit on Early Warning System (EWS) during SyenSaya 2013 at the Copeland Gymnasium in UPLB, July 31 – August 2.

Automatic Weather Station (AWS)

The conventional AWS was modified to include an EWS box which houses a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) module that receives the warning text message from the AWS box. The AWS can read weather parameters such as rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and solar radiation.  It consists of the following weather instruments:

Wind cups. It consists of four hemispherical cups placed at the ends of four horizontal arms which are mounted at equal angles to each other on a vertical shaft. The air flow turns the shaft proportional to the wind speed. The turning of the cups will then be counted over a predetermined period of time to produce the average wind speed.

Rain gauge. This is placed at the upper lever of the console to measure the amount of rainfall. It also measures precipitation in millimeters.

Solar panel. This serves as the source of energy during electric blackout. It also powers the station during the day and changes the upper capacitor for the night operation. Lithium batteries are used as back-up for cloudy and windy days.

Wind vane. It has a pivotal arrow that turns in the direction of the wind.

Thermo Hygrometer. It reads the temperature and also measures humidity. Humidity is a representation of the concentration of the water vapour in the air. To be more familiar, it is locally termed as “halumigmig.”

Wireless range. It ensures consistent transmission from the integrated sensor suite to the console. To avoid delay in the transmission of data due to the weather condition, it acts as a channel for definite data logging and transmission.

Another device was attached to the AWS to determine whether the atmospheric data gathered has already reached the critical level identified by PAGASA. The data then triggers the EWS siren and light as warning to the community for varied length of time as stipulated by the color warnings: 5 sec ON and 10 sec OFF for 1 minute, yellow warning (7.5-15mm rain); 5 sec ON and 5 sec OFF for 1 minute, orange warning (15-30mm rain); and 10 sec ON and 3 sec OFF for continuous warning until someone from the LGU unplugs the EWS, red warning (more than 30mm rain).  The siren can be heard 3km from the site.

Professor Altoveros explained that the alarm is very crucial as floods can happen even in the early hours of the day without people noticing it.

“It is important to consider not only the data you’ve collected on rainfall, wind speed, and direction, but more importantly during strong rains, the community should be warned,” he added.

According to Professor Altoveros, the installation and implementation of the AWS was a success. So far, the only problem perceived is the inconsistency of the signal on remote areas which affects the reliability of the delivery of weather reports.

The team has scheduled regular monthly monitoring of the system. Professor Altoveros said that there is a need to further study the locality of a certain community to adapt the warning level depending on the community rainfall and water level tolerance since the warning level scheme is currently patterned in the topography of Metro Manila.

Future modification of the system includes the use of radio frequency to ensure a steady delivery of warning messages and weather reports. This will address the problem of the inconsistent signal of cell sites in remote areas. Another is the installation of a satellite module to the AWS that will provide global satellite connectivity to ensure uncontested message delivery. However, the said modifications require a significant amount of money.

The AWS is a World Food Programme (WFP) funded project of the School Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) and IMSP UPLB.  The AWS installation is a P3-million funded research study by the WFP as part of the Disaster Preparedness and Response project. The idea of a modified AWS was submitted as a proposal to the WFP’s second phase of the technical support to the Philippines for Disaster Preparedness and Response Activities.

As an off shoot project, Professor Altoveros and his team were tasked to install an AWS in Mt. Makiling, which is expected to reach completion by September this year. Another installation will be in the Quezon province.

Professor Altoveros’ team include: Julius Cris V. Salinas, instructor from IMSP and Thaddeus P. Lawas, University Research Associate from SESAM, as project coordinators; Joyce Ragudo, Rendendo Mata, and Jedd Jaurique as project staff; and several BS Applied Physics students from UPLB.

Communication Protocol

One of the components of the project is a communication protocol wherein three LGU officials from each municipality/town will receive text messages from the AWS.  The messages will then be assessed for carrying out disaster plans of the community.

The idea is to ensure that the community people are aware on what to do during calamities through series of consultations, awareness campaigns, seminars and disaster and emergency drills in partnership with PAGASA.  Strategic locations for evacuations in each municipality were also identified during the seminars conducted.

“Basically, signal nos. 1, 2, and 3 are based on wind speed. Now, PAGASA has the color warnings based on rainfall.  It does not take a storm for floods and landslides to happen as what we have seen during the onslaught of Habagat.   With the EWS, since we’re already warned, we don’t have to wait for something bad to happen before we move, and all the action plans are localized,” said Ragudo, project staff.

Meanwhile, weather information from all installed AWS can be accessed through www.weatherlink.com/user/uplbweather (uplbweather 2, uplbweather 3, uplbweather4 and uplbweather5 for the other municipalities). (Crispin Mahrion B. Abacan, with reports from Jan Amiel C. de Leon and Noli A. Magsambol III)

Dr. Erwin Awitan, a technical consultant and a former assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine in the University of the Philippines Los Baños, conducted a seminar titled, “Feed Sanitation and Hygiene” in the Animal Science Lecture Hall on August 2 as part of the Animal Science 299 Graduate Seminar Series. The seminar discussed about the problems associated with poultry management and the ways for proper feed handling.

Dr. Awitan talked about the experienced difficulties of farmers in poultry management which lower the performance of broiler chickens. Farmers complain that something is wrong with the feeds.  However, Dr. Awitan explained that the feeds do have complete nutritional requirements. The real problem is that farmers and other animal scientists fail to provide the right environment for the chickens.

Discussing heat stress among chicks, Dr. Awitan emphasized that high temperature maximizes water consumption of the chicks which causes wet droppings. Heat is also related with other problems in poultry management such as in feed handling as high temperature causes grain damages.

“They [farmers] don’t understand how to play humidity inside the building,” Dr. Awitan explained.

According to him, the temperature requirement is not satisfied because farmers don’t apply the concept of heat index. They often misread the poultry’s behaviour. As a result, the chicks are more vulnerable to infections and metabolic diseases.

Further, based on Dr. Awitan’s cited findings, the biggest problem that poultry farmers experience today is the disease among chickens called Necrotic Enteritis. It is the inflammation of the small intestine caused by pathogens which is usually acquired from contaminated feeds.  He shared that this could also be due to poor husbandry practices among poultry farmers.

“Just imagine the already stressed broilers ingest feeds with high bacterial content…” he explained.

Dr. Awitan also shared that to reduce the inefficiency and mortality rate among broilers, farmers should reduce heat, avoid feed contamination, provide force ventilation, and improve husbandry and animal health. He also added that custom fit nutrition, energy balance, and digestibility should be considered by farmers to have a higher efficiency and production rate in their poultries. (Christine Mae B. Santos)

Knowledge at your fingertips.

The Department of Science and Technology’s Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) introduced its project STARBOOKS during the SyenSaya 2013 at the Copeland Gymnasium of the University of the Philippines Los Baños on July 31-August 2.

The Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk Stations (STARBOOKS) is a digital integrated library that can permanently store and regularly update information. It is DOST’s strategy in making Science and Technology information accessible to the public. It is a stand-alone kiosk that operates offline and provides free access to information mainly for public libraries in the country.

According to Annie Lynn Bacani, administrative coordinator of the project, it has offline database that holds 500,000 titles of digitalized journal, reference materials, annual reports, serial publications, technical and group reports, theses and dissertations, and directories of DOST-STII’s library materials. It also contains almost 170 videos of other DOST projects.

Using STARBOOKS, students can now get Science and Technology (S&T) information, save it on their USB flash drives or even print them out.

The first recipients of the STARBOOKS project are the towns from Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Masbate, Romblon, and Negros Oriental. These regions are included in the top 20 poorest provinces in the country based on the National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB).

Installation of STARBOOKS is free. Interested local government units, non-government agencies, companies and educational institutions just need to provide their own computer units and request installation at their regional DOST office.

The project STARBOOKS is one of DOST’s initiatives in promoting Science and Technology to the general public and for the students to be interested in taking courses related to S&T. It aims to aid students in their research and increase their interest and chances of getting scholarships in Science and Technology schools. (Noli A. Magsambol III)

The Los Baños Science Community Foundation Inc. (LBSCFI) held “Talakayan: A Technology Forum on Food Quality and Safety for Los Baños Entrepreneurs” at the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) auditorium on August 1.

Ms. Jane Agnes U. Olivares, Senior Science Research Specialist of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region IV-A, opened the technology forum with her lecture titled “Farm-to-Table Food Safety: An Overview.” She discussed the importance of safe food handling and how food borne diseases are acquired. According to her, food safety should be practiced from the beginning of food production up until the food reaches the consumer’s table. In addition, she gave emphasis on the benefits of food safety stating that its practices contribute to the good image and reputation of the business.

Meanwhile, Ms. Grace D. Noceja, Senior Science Research Specialist of DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI), discussed on food packaging.  Ms. Noceja explained that it has several kinds depending on the type of food and that packaging materials used in storing and transporting raw materials in food production are very important. She explained that packaging is not just a container but a way to protect food to extend its life. Packaging materials should also give consumers proper information about the food – its ingredients, expiration date, etc.

The latter part of the techno forum focused on the food business establishments and entrepreneurs. Dr. Alvin A. Isidoro, Los Baños Municipal Health Officer, gave reminders about the existing municipal health ordinances to monitor the food safety practices of store owners and entrepreneurs in Los Baños. He also talked about the implementing rules in the conduct and etiquette of sellers in producing, handling and serving foods to the consumers. Proper food selling etiquette encompasses the following: over-all structural design and location of the food establishment; health, sanitation and hygiene practices of the sellers; and proper attire that the seller should wear.

According to Dr. Isidoro, the Municipal Health Office (MHO), together with the Department of Health (DOH), has the authority to inspect food establishments. He also discussed that aspiring food entrepreneurs should first obtain sanitary permit from MHO before operating.

Lastly, Ms. Laura E. Jaraplasan, a Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Laguna gave a lecture on the marketing strategy and promotion of food business. Ms. Jaraplasan gave some ideas on how to widen distribution channels or networks for food business. She shared that food establishment owners could set up their store in school canteens, supermarkets, hospitals, and malls depending on the nature of food they want to sell. She also gave tips on marketing strategies and how to cope with competition. Since many food businesses are alike nowadays in terms of the products they sell, she said that it depends on the sellers on how they would sell, put price and promote their products.

The techno forum aimed to increase the level of awareness and knowledge of the people, especially food entrepreneurs, regarding food safety, and also to increase the quality of the products they sell. About 95 food entrepreneurs and businesspersons from 62 establishments and stores in Los Baños attended the event.  (Don Q. Castillo)

The National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Biotech) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) wins the Outstanding Technology Commercialization Award during the National Science and Technology Week on July 23 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Five representatives from Biotech namely Reynaldo V. Ebora, Susan A. Sedano, Arsenia B. Sapin, Maria Teresa M. Perez, and Teresita J. Ramirez, received the medal and cash prize of one hundred fifty thousand pesos (P150,000) for the successful commercialization of Salmonella DAS .

One of Biotech’s patented products, Salmonella DAS is a PCR-based indicator kit which detects salmonella in food and feeds. PCR or Polymerase chain reaction, is a biochemical technology which allows a single DNA copy to multiply to billions of copies, through heating and cooling of the reaction which is called thermal cycling.  Ramirez started its commercialization from 2004-2005 with funds from the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD).  It is now being distributed to potential clients like the Lipa Quality Control Center in Lipa City, Batangas.

Two other awards were also given out: the Outstanding Research and Development Award for Basic Research which was given to Dr. Waren N. Baticados, a UPLB scientist, for his research on livestock and companion animals’ diseases; and the Outstanding Science Administrator Award which was given to Dr. Amelia W. Tejada, executive director of the Food Development Center, for her large contribution in the Centralized Contaminants Laboratory at the Food Development Center-National Food Authority (FDC-NFA).

The Outstanding Technology Commercialization Award, also known as the Gregorio Y. Zara award, is given in recognition of the efforts of technology generators and developers to commercialize technologies. (Rae Marrie L. de Mesa)

The Los Baños Philippine National Police (PNP) captured a robbery suspect identified as Renato P. Madrid on August 5 along Lopez Avenue of Brgy. Batong Malake.  Madrid, a native and resident of Brgy Pagsawitan, Sta Cruz, Laguna, is being linked to a series of robbery incidents in Los Baños.

On July 26 at about 12:30pm, a couple residing at the Pepito Torres Propriety Apartment in El Danda Street, Batong Malake was robbed while they were using their comfort room.  When Rovelyn Mina went to their room which they left locked, she noticed that the door was closed but with the padlock destroyed.  She shouted for help when she saw the suspect inside their room.  The suspect immediately fled on foot towards El Danda subdivision.  Bystanders tried to chase down the suspect but were not successful.

The robber got one 11.6” acer aspire laptop worth Php 15,000.00 and Php 1,200.00 cash money from the victims. The couple went to their barangay hall to report the incident and reviewed the footages captured in their barangay’s CCTV. Rovelyn was able to pinpoint the suspect who was seen roaming around before the incident and running away from their apartment after the robbery.

The victims were then invited to Los Baños PNP to check the station’s rogues gallery.  The suspect was then identified as a former detainee named Renato Madrid y Paderog, 30 years old, single and jobless who was previously arrested by elements of the same station last February 3, 2012 for robbery. Appropriate criminal charge against Madrid was again filed before the Provincial Prosecutors Office on July 29, 2013.

On August 5, the station received a report from Intel PNCO SPO3 Elmer Joseph B. Gibe sighting a suspicious male along Lopez Avenue heading UPLB campus on board of a Public Utility Jeepney.  Operatives immediately conducted monitoring and verification and chanced upon the suspect at the corner of Umali Subdivision.  The suspect was then brought to the barangay hall of Batong Malake.  Two heat sealed transparent plastic sachets containing dried leaves or suspected marijuana were confiscated from the suspect.  Recovered substances were brought to the region crime laboratory at Camp Vicente Lim, Canlubang, Laguna for laboratory examination. The suspect was positively identified as the same person caught in the CCTV.  Other robbery victims from several dormitories in the same barangay also identified the suspect.  Madrid was subjected to drug test and medical examination prior to his inquest.

The suspect was criminally charged before the Provincial Prosecutors Office in Calamba City for Trespassing and Violation of Sec 11 Art II RA 9165 with bail recommended of Php 200,000.00.  Madrid is now detained at the Los Baños PNP’s detention cell while waiting for his commitment order and transfer to Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)-Los Baños. (With reports from PNP Los Baños)