National Scientist, Former DOST-NRCP President Edgardo Gomez dies at 81

National Scientist (NS) Edgardo D. Gomez, the founding Director of Marine Science Institute (MSI) of the University of the Philippines – Bolinao Marine Laboratory, a coral reef conservation protector, has passed away on December 1, 2019.

NS Gomez was the President of the Department of Science and Technology - National Research Council of the Philippines from 2016-2017. In 1974, he joined the NRCP Division of Biological Sciences and was an active Regular Member for 45 years. After his term as President in 2017, he became the NRCP Member-at-Large until 2018.

Details: Written by Research Information Dissemination Division (RIDD); Published: 06 December 2019; Hits: 2109

DOST-NRCP Values the Preservation of the Country’s Most Intangible Heritage - Music

If at present we know only bits and pieces of what are expressive of our collective community as Visayans, then it matters very much that we begin the collection, documentation, music transcription/notation and possibly provision of the historical background and analysis of what makes Visayan song distinctive and expressive of the Visayan spirit. - Dr. Hope S. Yu, Chair, DOST-NRCP Division of Humanities

As part of the Visayan collective memory, every song they sing or write from the past and perform for the present connect to their roots and lays the path to the future.

The Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP), in partnership with the University of San Carlos (USC) Cebuano Studies and DOST Regional Office No. VII, will hold the Visayas Policy Forum to present the policy insights and recommendations of Dr. Yu’s project entitled, “A Comprehensive Compilation of Extant Cebuano Songs with Music Transcription and Analysis” on November 20, 2019 at Dingman Conference Hall, University of San Carlos – Talamban Campus, Cebu City

Details: Written by Jenny Leigh A. Daquioag; Published: 20 November 2019; Hits: 5347

NRCP collaborates with Congress to promote policy-making based on science

Dr. Clarita R. Carlos as one of forum speakers.

The use of science to inform policy got a boost recently when the DOST-National Research Council of the Philippines partnered with the Congress of the Philippines in slating its 2nd Legislative Scientific Forum for Policy Development on November 6-7, 2019 at the House of Representatives in Quezon City.

NRCP, the country’s advisory body on S&T, has been vigorous in promoting evidence-based policy-making so that science will become accessible for decision makers and to ensure that funded researches are producing impacts.

Evidence-based policy employs the use of empirical data and is evaluated using an empirical approach. Developed countries such as the US and UK have been using evidence-based policy making for decades to guide social interventions and spend public funds more effectively. However, the use of evidence-based policy-making is said to be less established in developing countries such as the Philippines in which passing legislations backed by irrefutable data is a big challenge.

Details: Written by Mary Charlotte O. Fresco; Published: 13 November 2019; Hits: 1271

DOST-NRCP project on teenage pregnancy used as inputs to House Bill 4742 (Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2017)

Teenage pregnancy now a national emergency.

The Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) has requested President Rodrigo R. Duterte for the issuance of an executive order declaring teenage pregnancy as a national emergency as incidence rates disturbingly rises.

Teenage pregnancies is now one of the major national problems concerning the children and youth. While adolescent pregnancy rates in most countries are declining, the figures are growing in the Philippines.

According to PopCom Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez III on October 23, teenage pregnancy significantly contributes to economic losses in the country with 33 Billion pesos losses.

In his report, about 1.2 million children are having their own children yearly, with 30,000 young mothers who have experienced repeated pregnancies.

The DOST-NRCP project on teenage pregnancy during disasters

The Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP), had actually collaborated with the PopCom in 2017 through a research project that explored the links and external factors of incidence of teenage pregnancies after Supertyphoon Haiyan/Yolanda and Typhoon Ruby in the case of Eastern Visayas. The study led by Prof. Gloria Luz Nelson, DOST-NRCP member, used the study results in designing programs for teenagers during disasters.