Selebrasyon ng Buwan ng Nutrisyon, nagsimula na sa Bulacan

ni Vinson F. Concepcion

LUNGSOD NG MALOLOS, Bulacan, Hulyo 4 (PIA) -- Sinimulan na ng

pamahalaang panlalawigan ng Bulacan ang taunang selebrasyon ng Buwan

ng Nutrisyon sa Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium sa lungsod na ito nitong

lunes.

Ayon kay gobernador Wilhelmino M. Sy- Alvarado, alinsunod sa

Presidential Decree No. 491 o “Nutrition Act of the Philippines,”

isinasagawa taun-taon ang iba’t ibang programang pang-nutrisyon kung

saan ang tema ngayon taon ay “Pagkain ng gulay ugaliin, araw-araw

itong ihain.”

“Layunin ng pagdiriwang ang patuloy na gisingin ang kamalayan ng

publiko tungkol sa kahalagahan ng wastong nutrisyon. Ngayong taon,

lalo pang pinaigting ang kampanya upang mahikayat ang lahat ng sektor

ng ating lipunan na kumain ng gulay para sa dagdag na sustansya sa

katawan at upang maiwasan ang mga sakit tulad ng diabetes at kanser,”

anang gobernador.

Kabilang din sa mga isasagawang aktibidad ay ang pagsasagawa ng iba’t

ibang gawain sa mga bayan at lungsod tulad ng food festival, cooking

contest, poster at slogan-making contest sa mga paaralan, at

information forum.

Isasagawa rin ang Malunggay Cooking Contest na lalahukan ng mga

Lingkod Lingap sa Nayon at Mother Leader sa bawat bayan at lungsod

kung saan ang lahat ng mga nanalong recipes ay pagsasama-samahin upang

makabuo ng recipe book na Lutong Bulakenyo.

Magkakaroon din ng pagtitipon ang 803 may-ari ng panaderya at panadero

sa Kongreso ng mga Panadero kung saan sila ay bibigyan ng kaalaman at

pagsasanay ng Department of Science and Technology-Food and Science

Research Institute tungkol sa paglalagay ng gulay tulad ng malunggay

sa pandesal.

Magtatapos ang mga gawain sa Buwan ng Nutrisyon sa pagbibigay ng

karangalan sa mga natatanging bayan, barangay at Lingkod Lingap sa

Nayon na nagkaroon ng makabuluhang programa sa nutrisyon para sa taong

2011. (CLJD/VFC-PIA3)

Soil houseF itinayo sa Jubilee Homes

Fr. Dars Cabral (kaliwa) at Fr. Dennis Espejo habang nakatayo sa harap ng soil house sa Jubilee Homes sa bayan ng Plaridel.

PLARIDEL, Bulacan—Nakatakdang magbalik sa bayang ito ang mas malaking grupo ng mga-aaral na Koreano upang magtayo ng bahay na yari sa lupa.

Ito ay matapos na magtayo ng katulad na bahay sa Jubilee Homes sa Barangay Lumang Bayan dito ang limang mag-aaral arkitektura ng Mokpo National University (MNU) sa South Korea .

Ang Jubilee Homes ay isang proyektong pabahay ng Diyosesis ng Malolos para sa mga biktima ng mga bagyong Ondoy, Pedring at Quiel.

Ayon kay Father Dennis Espejo, kura ng parokya ni Santiago Apostol sa bayang ito, layunin ng mga mag-aaral na Koreano na maipakita ang paggamit ng mga pangkaraniwang kagamitan sa pagtatayo ng bahay.

“Every year, Mokpo National University sends students to Plaridel for community immersion, tapos nakita nila yung Jubilee Homes kaya nagtayo sila ng soil house,” ani Espejo na siya ring tagapangulo ng Commission on Service ng Diyosesis ng Malolos.

Ikunuwento niya na ang soil house sa Jubilee Homes ay itinayo ng mga Koreano kasama ang may 20 kabataan mula sa bayang ito.

Ipinagmalaki ni Espejo na bukod sa maliit ang gastos sa pagtatayo ng soil house ay matibay din ito.

“It’s very strong and very cheap because they only used soil and bamboo sticks,” ani ng pari at sinabing ang soil house ay natapos loob ng 10 araw lamang.

Ang soil house na kanilang itinayo ay may isang kuwarto, kusina, sala at banyo.

Ang mga pader ng bahay ay may taas na pitong talampakan. Ito ay yari sa lupang hinukay sa di kalayuang gulayan, pagkatapos ay pinaikpik at nilagyan ng kawayan sa gitna.

Ayon kay Espejo, mas madadagdan pa ang soil house sa Jubilee Homes dahil sa susunod na taon ay inaasahang darating ang mas malaking grupo ng mag-aaral na Koreano kasama ang mga dalubhasa sa paggawa ng soil house.

Ikunuwento rin ng pari na sa kanilang pagbisita sa Korea noong nakaraang taon, ipinakita sa kanila ang mga gusaling yari sa lupa, kabilang dito ang mga  paaralan na may tatlong palapag.

Gayunpaman, nilinaw ni Espejo na ang mga poste ng gusaling yari sa lupa ay yari naman sa kongretong semento ay may bakal.

Ang mga nasabing gusali ay itinayo na mas madalang ang bakala na ginamit.

Ngunit para sa mga bahay na bungalow o isang palapag lamang na tulad ng nakatayo sa Jubilee Homes, walang ginamit na steel frame.

Kaugnay nito, hindi natuloy ang pagpapasinaya sa Jubilee Homes noong Mayo 15 dahil sa hindi pa nakapaglalagay ng instalasyon ng kuryente sa mga poste ang Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

Ayon kay Father Dars Cabral, ang tagapangulo ng Commission on Social Communication ng Diyosesis ng Malolos, malaki ang posibilidad na bago matapos ang buwan ng Hunyo ay masimula na ang paglilipat ng pagmamay-ari ng mga bahay.

“Baka sa June ay matuloy na na ang awarding ng certificate of ownership sa unang 100 beneficiaries,” ani Cabral.

DOST’s MakiBayan program to raise PH productivity

By Framelia V. Anonas, S&T Media Service

More jobs, more equipped workers, more businesses, and more income—these are the ultimate aims ofMakiBayan, the Department of Science and Technology’s solution in raising the productivity of the metals industry in the country. Short for “Makinaryaat Teknolohiyaparasa Bayan,” MakiBayan is a tripartite program that involves close collaboration among DOST, the metalworks and other allied industries, and the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT), a consortium of topnotch engineering universities across the country.

“The MakiBayan program is essentially an indicative roadmap that outlines the research and development thrusts for the industry in order to achieve more sustained growth and overall development of the industry,” said DOST Secretary Mario Montejo.

MakiBayan provides a more enabling environment to spur growth in the metalworks and other related industries by strengthening research and development to provide solutions to industry problems, developing needed machineries and technologies locally, and equipping the industry manpower through higher education and training.

Through MakiBayan, the program partners will be able to work more closely and share their resources to work on common goals. The industry can identify its technology needs and, through collaboration, will be able to produce the technology and machinery locally. This results in more accessible and lower-priced equipment that will minimize the industry’s dependence on imported machineries, and even increase its competitiveness to export products and machinery.

A more vibrant metals industry will create more business opportunities through new products and services, and will result in more job opportunities for Filipinos.

According to Sec. Montejo, a strong and brisk metalworking sector is an important component in increasing the gross domestic product in the local and global economy. Globally, the metals and allied industries employ some 70 million people worldwide and account for nearly half of the goods produced in the manufacturing sector and more than half of all merchandise exported worldwide in terms of value, he said.

Consequently, the metal industry is both a driving force of the world economy and is influenced to a large extent by the overall world economic climate.

“I thank the DOST, through the leadership of Secretary Montejo, for the MakiBayan Program. It has always been our aspiration to upgrade the status of the tool and die sector of the country. Now we can work together to bring this objective into reality,” said Luis Antonio T. Fuster, president of the Philippine Die and Mold Association, one of the industry partners of MakiBayan.

PDMA through MakiBayan aims to establish a common service facility to accommodate small and medium enterprises who cannot afford to purchase costly pieces of equipment.

Other industry partners include the Metalworking Industry Association of the Philippines and the Electronics Industry Association of the Philippines, Inc.“We at MIAP are privileged to be part of this event in crafting the roadmap of the metalworking sector. As a gesture of  gratitude we are taking a bold stance by accepting the challenge as one of the government partners in working towards improving productivity in the metal sector,” said Virgilio F. Lanzuela, MIAP president.

To produce more experts to work locally, “the industry can tell us its manpower needs and we will produce them,” assured Dr. Aura C. Matias, ERDT Program Leader. ERDT consists of eight universities with strong engineering curriculum, namely Ateneo de Manila University, Central Luzon State University, De La Salle University, Mapua Institute of Technology, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, and University of San Carlos.

The MakiBayan partners will complete a collaborative research and development (R&D) roadmap that will frame plans, projects, and milestones from 2012 to year 2016. The roadmap is expected to propel the metalworks, machinery and allied industries in the country toward greater  competitiveness both in the local and global markets.

Piliin ang mga produktong may Sangkap Pinoy Seal

Alam ba ninyo na sa mga kabahayan na nakasama sa surbey ukol sa mga

produktong pagkain na may Sangkap Pinoy Seal (o SPS), walo sa bawa’t sampu sa

kanila ang bumibili ng produkto na may SPS? Ito ay ayon sa 7th National Nutrition

Survey na isinagawa ng Food and Nutrition Research Institute ng Department of

Science and Technology (o FNRI-DOST). Tandaan, pag bumibili ng processedfoods,

laging hanapin ang tatak ng Sangkap Pinoy.

Ang Sangkap Pinoy Seal o SPS ay tatak na ibinibigay ng Department of Health

bilang katunayan na ang mga produktong mayroon nito ay nakapasa sa tamang

antas ng food fortification o dagdag sustansiya gaya ng bitamina A, yero (o iron)

at yodo (o iodine).

Makakamit ang tamang nutrisyon sa abot-kayang presyo sa mga produktong

pagkain na may SPS.

Ngunit tandaan na ang pagkain ng iba’t-ibang uri ng pagkain ang siya pa ring

tuntunin sa tamang nutrisyon at kalusugan.

Ang impormasyong ito ay hatid sa inyo ng FNRI_DOST, ang pangunahing ahensiya

ng gobyerno sa pananalilsik sa pagkain at nutrisyon. Para sa karagdagang

impormasyon at kaalaman sa pagkain at nutrisyon, sumulat o tumawag kay

Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Direktor, FNRI-DOST sa kanyang email address:

mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph, mar_v_c@yahoo.com o sa telepono bilang 837-2934/837-

3164 Maari ding bisitahin ang FNRI-DOST website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph.

(FNRI-DOST S & T Media Service/PIA Bulacan)

Produkto mula sa yakon ginawa ng FNRI

Alam ba ninyo na ang yakon ay tumutulong sa pagpapababa ng lebel ng asukal

at kolesterol sa dugo? Ang yakon ay isang uri ng lamang-ugat na matatagpuan sa

Nueva Vizcaya, Misamis Oriental, Cordillera at iba pang bulubundukin na lugar.

Ayon sa pag-aaral ng Food and Nutrition Research Institute ng Department of

Science and Technology o FNRI-DOST, ang yakon ay maaaring gawin sa ibatibang

produkto gaya ng tsaa, juice, salad, at iba pa.

Ang mga lamang-ugat gaya ng yakon ay nagbibigay ng enerhiya at lakas sa

katawan. Ang kakulangan sa pagkain ng karbohydrat (o carbohydrates) ay

hahantong sa mababang timban, panghihina, pagkahilo at pagbaba ng l;ebel ng

asukal sa dugo, ayon sa Gabay sa Wastong Nutrisyon” ng FNRI-DOST.

Ugaliing kumain at maghanda ng mga lamang-ugat tulad ng yakon, kamote,

kamoteng-kahoy, ube at iba pa, upang maiwasan ang sakit na diyabetis at

altapresyon.

Ang impormasyong ito ay hatid sa inyo ng FNRI_DOST, ang pangunahing ahensiya

ng gobyerno sa pananalilsik sa pagkain at nutrisyon. Para sa karagdagang

impormasyon at kaalaman sa pagkain at nutrisyon, sumulat o tumawag kay

Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Direktor, FNRI-DOST sa kanyang email address:

mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph, mar_v_c@yahoo.com o sa telepono bilang 837-2934/837-

3164 Maari ding bisitahin ang FNRI-DOST website: http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph.

(FNRI-DOST S & T Media Service/PIA Bulacan)

DOST studies tawa-tawa as potential cure for dengue, TB

By Luisa Soriano-Lumioan, S&T Media Service

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through its Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), is currently doing studies on tawa-tawa’s (scientific name Euphorbia hirta) anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties and its supposed ability to increase blood platelets.The discovery of tawa-tawa’s active ingredient will lead to the development of treatments for dengue and tuberculosis.

Tawa-tawa and other Philippine herbs are current research priorities in DOST’s drug development program which looks into natural substances from plants and animals as possible sources of cure for diseases.

“Natural products research in the country is being refocused and modernized by DOST as competition in the increasingly global industry becomes more intense,” DOST Secretary Mario Montejo said.

An analysis of drug origins from 1981-2002 showed that28 percent of new chemical entities (NCE)are from natural products.

“This is a significant percentage,” said Dr. Jaime Montoya, DOST-PCHRDexecutive director.

An NCE is a molecule developed at theearly stage of the drug discovery process. Itgoes through clinical trials before it is developed into a drug that could cure certain diseases.

That most NCEs come from natural productssuggests that natural products are important sources of new drugs or lead compounds suitable for further modifications during drug development, Dr. Montoya explained.

Drug development is one of the priority programs of DOST-PCHRD starting this year. To harmonize drug discovery researches in the country, the Council launched  "Tuklas Lunas" (Filipino for cure discovery) Centers  to build the health research capacity in the regions. Named as the first Tuklas Lunas Center in the country is the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) campus, to be followed by two more research institutes in Luzon and the Visayas.

Along with developing new drugs from natural products, DOST-PCHRD will also embark on development of diagnostic kits for priority diseases, genomics and molecular technology; functional foods; hospital equipment and biomedical devices; information and communication technology (ICT) in health; and chronobiologyor the study of the effects of night and day to living organisms. PCHRD in particular will study the effect of shifting work schedules for workers in the Business Process Outsource industries, Dr. Montoya revealed.

PCHRD, one of the sectoral councils of DOST is mandated to formulate policies, plans, programs, project, and strategies for health science and technology development; program and allocate government and external funds for research and development; monitor research and development projects; and generate external funds.

Root crops keep bad cholesterol down, DOST study says

By Framelia V. Anonas, S&T Media Service

If you want to control your cholesterol level, better include camote or its cousins in your daily fare. In a study by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, it was found that root crops abundant in the country can keep bad cholesterol level down.

 Led by DOST-FNRI’s Dr. Trinidad Trinidad, the study team discovered that daily intake of root crops significantly lowers  bad cholesterol levels in the body.

“Root crops are able to lower bad cholesterol levels because of their dietary fiber content,” said Dr. Trinidad. Dietary fiber or roughage is that part of the vegetable or fruit that is not digested and not absorbed in a human's digestive tract.

“Dietary fibers come from a family of carbohydrates that ferments in the colon, turning into short-chain fatty acids that release energy,” Trinidad explained. “These fatty acids include butyrate, which prevents the risk of colon cancer, and propionate which helps prevent cholesterol synthesis.”

Aside from dietary fiber, root crops also contain vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and iron.

The study involved subjects aged 30-55 years, physically and mentally fit, and with moderately-raised serum cholesterol levels.  The subjects were non-smokers and were not under any medication. They were all fed with test food for two weeks.

The team used various root crops such as camote (sweet potato), gabi (taro), tugi (lesser or Chinese yam), ube (purple yam), and cassava.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that the cholesterol level of the subjects remained stable. Trinidad’s team concluded that root crops, due to their cholesterol-lowering effect, would be important in the proper control and management of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases.

In individual analysis, the team found that all the root crops used in the study decreased the level of bad cholesterol, especially cassava and camote. The team also discovered that tugi, a root crop abundant  in the north, even increased good cholesterol.

In another study, researchers found that corn is good for the heart. It contains

folate that lowers the level of homocysteine, a kind of amino acid that damages the lining of arteries and may make blood clot more easily than it should. High homocysteine levels may lead to heart attack.

Corn also has thiamin and pantothenic acid that help in producing energy for the body and in reducing stress.

Root crops and corn are traditional Filipino foods that, in some parts of the country, serve as staple food. For the average Filipino, root crops and corn are best eaten as snacks—tasty, filling, and inexpensive.

So if you want to keep your cholesterol down, junk the grease and go back to eating boiled corn, camote, and cassava. “These foods used to be labeled as ‘pagkain ng mahirap’ (food for the poor) but now it is also for the rich,” quipped Trinidad.

Even that sweet camote que is good, “as long as there’s not much sugar in it and you eat in moderation,” Trinidad advised.