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The National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), in partnership with the OML Center, Philippines held the Third National Climate Conference with the theme “Climate-Related Risks and Disasters” on September 25 at the Traders Hotel, Manila. The conference highlighted the importance of science in understanding and adapting to climate change, and to its impacts on people and ecosystems. It aimed to discuss, develop, and promote science-based and timely response to climate-related risks and disasters.
 
President of NAST PHL, Academician William G. Padolina, stated that support to climate conferences and research endeavors “can generate more knowledge on climate change and help bridge the science and policy action gap in the country”. He further emphasized that the conference’s goal is “not just to exchange information and ideas but also to influence policy at some point.”
 
Civil Defense Deputy Administrator of the Office of CivilDefense and Keynote Speaker, Dir. Romeo Fajardo,discussed his agency’s initiatives after Typhoon Glenda. He cited policies like the R.A.9729 or the Climate Change Act, as well as the R.A 10121 or thePhilippine Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Act and announced that the hazard maps will be finished this year.
 
Plenary Sessions featured experts in climate research. Acting Deputy Administrator for Research and Development of PAGASA, Dr. Flaviana Hilario, talked about climate trends and implications to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) / Operational Climatology. Atmospheric Scientist and Associate Director for Research of the Manila Observatory, Dr. Gemma Teresa Narisma, discussed the country’s increasing risk and exposure. Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur’s Municipal Vice Mayor Hon. Cristina M. Camba and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Officer, Engr. Josephine Lapeciros presented her province’s best practices on disaster response.
 
Papers presented during oral presentations were: Climate Science, Disaster Risk Reduction, Community-based Assessment on Disaster Mitigation and Sectoral Approaches on Climate Change Studies. Further, there has been a growing interest and publication of papers in Climate Research, specifically on the most-researched themes including: 1) Social & Migration, 2) Food Security, 3) Climate Science, 4) Natural Ecosystem, and 5) Disaster Risk-Reduction Management.
 
While researchers from the academe have been the majority of participants since the first conference, a notable increase in the number of participants from other sectors, such as from local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs), has been noted according to Academician Rodel Lasco, Chair of the NAST Task force on Climate Change.
 
Among the posters exhibited during the conference, two winners were recognized. First place was awarded to “Production of Emergency Food Reserve (EFR): Government-Private Sector Cooperation (GPC) for Community Disaster Preparedness” by Lourdes Solidum-Montevirgen, Annabelle Flores, and Monica Manalo from Industrial Technology Development Institute, DOST while second place was awarded to “Influence of Different Tropical Cyclones on Runoff Behaviors of a Forest Watershed in the Philippines” by Nathaniel Bantayan, Edwin Combaciler, Jan Joseph Dida, and Aldin Alegre from the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, UPLB.
 
Academician Lasco concluded the conference by acknowledging the presence of many young researchers and further encouraging everyone to continue supporting climate research in the country.

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Four distinguished scientists, Academicians Gavino C. Trono, Angel C. Alcala, Ramon C. Barba, and Edgardo D. Gomez, were conferred the rank and title of National Scientist by President Benigno S. Aquino III by virtue of Malacañang Proclamation Nos. 737, 782, 783, and 843 on August 12, 2014 at the Malacañang Palace, in recognition of their outstanding works and contributions to science and technology in the country.
 
Academician Trono was recognized for his extensive studies on the culture of seaweed species, such as Eucheuma denticulatum, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Gracilaria spp., Caulerpa lentillifera, and Halymenia durvillaei, which benefited many people among the coastal populations. He identified and described 25 new species of marine benthic algae and successfully implemented 45 research projects, which resulted in the publication of 142 scientific papers. He established the largest phycological herbarium in the country —the G.T. Velasquez Herbarium in the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines,which houses more than 70,000curated herbarium specimens of the seaweed flora. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Botany from the University of the Philippines Diliman (1954), Master of Science in Agricultural Botany from the Araneta University (1961), and Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (Marine) from the University of Hawaii (UH) through an East West Center Study Grant (1968).
 
Academician Alcala was recognized for his seminal and original research on the systematics, ecology, and conservation of vertebrates, particularly in herpetology, by providing valuable basic knowledge on the country’s rich biodiversity and ecology. He served as a pioneer scientist and advocate in the protection of coral reefs leading to a national policy and program that established the no-take marine reserves, a specific type of marine protected area (MPA) set aside by the government where no extractive activity is allowed. The MPA mode of protection of marine ecosystems has been cited internationally and show-cased in the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, U.S.A. as a model of coastal resource management and conservation. He obtained his B.S. in Biology magna cum laude from Silliman University in 1951 and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University in 1960 and 1966, respectively.
 

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The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) opened the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) on July 24, 2014, Tuesday held at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. This year’s event was anchored on the theme “Philippines: A Science Nation Meeting Global Challenges”. The NSTW celebration showcased the current trends, innovations, interventions, and inventions of Filipino scientists, engineers, technologists, and various works by the entire scientific community, such as technologies and programs geared towards strengthening the manufacturing industries, SMEs, human resources capabilities, e-governance, and disaster preparedness, among others.

In partnership with the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), DOST presented four (4) major awards, namely: Outstanding TechnologyCommercialization Award, also known as the Gregorio Y. Zara Medal; Outstanding Research and Development Award for Basic Research or the Eduardo A. Quisumbing Medal and Applied Research or the Julian A. Banzon Medal; and the Outstanding Science Administrator Award, otherwise known as the Dioscoro L. Umali Medal.

The Outstanding Technology Commercialization Award recognizes the efforts of technology generators and developers whose technologies have been commercialized. The award was named after the late National Scientist Gregorio Y. Zara, renowned Filipino engineer and inventor. For 2014, the award was given to Ms. Tessie C. Nuñez of the Visayas State University, Visca, Baybay City. She was recognized for her successful commercialization of the coconut with the soft glutinous meat or endosperm , commonly known as makapuno, which is widely used to make dessert, ice cream flavoring, cake topping, pastry filling, and as a major ingredient in the production of wood wrap being exported to the United States