CEST Team Re-visits Jomalig, Quezon

Participants of the GMP Training at Jomalig, Quezon

JOMALIG, QUEZON — In the southeast area of the Polillo group of islands lies the isle of Jomalig where fine sand and pristine waters will leave anyone enchanted for days. In this picturesque island, the DOST-CALABARZON team once again brought science and technology into the island’s cradle.

According to Mrs. Elizabeth Eyatid, the Municipal Science and Technology Officer of Jomalig, the island has five barangays namely Brgy. Gango, Brgy. Bukal, Brgy. Apad, Brgy. Casuguran, Brgy. Salibungot wherein the DOST CEST team conducted water testing. Each barangay had a selected water source that was tested for microbiological contaminants. Previously, DOST also conducted a physico- chemical water testing on these same water sources as part of the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) intervention on water sanitation.

Jomalig is an island municipality wherein land is cultivated for agricultural use— coconut serving as their main crop. Because of the abundance of coconut, the island’s delicacy had to be their puto and suman (their rendition of puto and suman has coconut as the main ingredient). As an attempt to standardize the island’s specialty, a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Training was conducted as part of CEST’s intervention on the island’s economic development through improving the product’s safety, quality, consistency, and shelf-life so the consumers and tourists can better appreciate the island’s puto and suman delicacy.

In 2017, DOST installed a unit of STARBOOKS at the municipal library of Jomalig, along with that, a complementary feeding program was also conducted to 31 underweight children. Calibration of scales and a DOST PINOY training program were also conducted for barangay nutrition scholars. This is part of CEST’s intervention on health and nutrition.

On 2018, an Automated Rain Gauge (ARG) and a Local Government Unit Information Dissemination System (LGUIDS) were installed as part of CEST’s intervention on Disaster Risk Reduction.

On this note, the team visited the installed ARG unit in the municipality as well as the STARBOOKS unit deployed at the municipal library as part of its maintenance. (Jessamine V. Bariuan, DOST-CALABARZON)