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Mr. Romeo L. Dignos, PSTD-Biliran, delivering a welcome message.
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The DOST Provincial Science & Technology Center (PSTC)- Biliran successfully conducted the 2016 SETUP Forum cum DOST 8 Programs & Services Information Dissemination on December 1, 2016 at the Naval State University (NSU) Hostel, NSU Compound, Naval, Biliran. This time, the activity was conducted to tap the barangay officials as partners in disseminating and promoting DOST S&T programs and services to the local communities. Hence, initially for the first batch, barangay officials coming from the four (4) municipalities of the Province of Biliran namely- Biliran, Naval, Caibiran and Cabucgayan were invited.
Detailed discussions were given focusing on the following DOST programs and services: Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP); Grants-In-Aid (GIA); Consultancy Services such Energy Audit (EA), Cleaner Production Technology (CPT), and Food Safety (FS); Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST); OneSTore and Scholarship. Furthermore, brief discussions on other services were also provided. The Resource Speakers were from the DOST Regional Office 8 namely Engr. Ramil T. Uy, Ms. Imelda S. Picorro, Engr. Heber Matoza, Mr. Joshua Reambonanza, and Mr. Lysander P. King III. After the discussions, queries and clarifications were entertained and answered.
The forum’s strategy is a new approach to what DOST-Biliran has been doing to reach out deeper. Probably most of us would say that with the technological advancements in the world we are living today, information are disseminated and programs are promoted so quickly. With the rise of the different social media sites, blogs, and technologies including television, radio, phones and among others, we felt that these are enough to disseminate and promote information, specially government programs and services, even to the base of the community or to the smallest administrative division in our country, the barangay. However, we fail to remember that most of these communities are not yet fully equipped with knowledge and skills about these technologies and that hinders them to avail of these programs and services that we offer. Also, most often than not, we fail to recognize the role of the barangays in the information dissemination and promotion of our programs and services in the local community.
At the end of the activity, Barangay officials present were able to identify relevant programs and services that could greatly help their local communities. It is hoped that this initiative could help strengthen the partnership between DOST and the local community in the dissemination and promotion of the different S&T programs and services offered by the agency.
One of the main highlights of the event was the awarding of certificates to the successful beneficiaries of SETUP from Biliran.
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| The Resource Speakers from DOST RO 8 and the participants from the different Barangays of the Municipalities of Biliran, Caibiran, Cabucgayan, and Naval, Biliran. |