UP Mindanao gets biotech facility

MANILA, Philippines - A research program on indigenous bio-resources once made headlines by transforming the ubiquitous sago into a very promising income generator in Mindanao.

But sago is just the beginning. “Other abundant indigenous resources like nipa, kaong, and some forest species ornamentals will soon be included in the program,” according to Dr. Dulce M. Flores, project leader of a research program that aims to shorten the process and reduce the cost of producing “value-added” products such as industrial lactic acid, ethanol, and biodegradable plastics from starch.

To boost the project, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and UP Mindanao (UPMin) recently launched the DOST-UPMin Biotechnology Facility at UPMin’s College of Science and Mathematics in Davao City. The facility is expected to help Mindanao utilize its unused indigenous bio-resources for economic development.

“We feel very proud of this. This is a milestone for UP Mindanao,” UPMin Chancellor Gilda C. Rivero told media in a press conference.

She recounted how the project had been proposed almost two years ago. When the DOST approved a grant of P23 million for the UPMin Biotechnology Research Program and the establishment of the facility, UPMin was enabled to do more in-depth and advanced research work in biotechnology and has, at present, become a center of biotechnology in Mindanao. “We are now on our first year, and I think we’ve met [our] goals,” the chancellor reported.

According to Flores, sago was chosen for the initial phase of the project due to its abundance and high starch yield. The potential of sago to help in Mindanao’s economic development immediately captured the attention of program sponsors DOST and the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD). During a press conference at the inauguration of the facility, PCASTRD Executive Director Reynaldo V. Ebora described sago as a viable food source that can serve as an alternative to corn and other local crops.

DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro praised UPMin’s efforts at biotechnology and held it as an example of how the academe can help lessen the dependence on non-renewable materials.

Alabastro said UPMin has now become part of the network of older UP campuses involved in biotechnology research: UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Los Baños, and UP Visayas - all of which have their own institutes of biotechnology. UPLB is focused on agricultural biotechnology, UPM on medical applications of biotechnology, and UPV on marine biotechnology.

Aside from extracting “value-added” products from sago, the UPMin biotechnology program has also embarked on an inventory of sago palms growing in the forests of Mindanao and other places in the country; the study of its pests, natural friends, and microbial growth regulators; and the micro-propagation of sago palms.

President Emerlinda R. Roman said projects like these prove that UPMin can do more than offer degree programs to help the country. At a time when UPMin is still grappling with its identity as a constituent university, it has embarked on research works tailored to fit the needs of its clientele. The strengthening of its Science and Technology capabilities is also in line with its mandate to apply UP expertise to the concerns of Mindanao. According to Roman, studies on indigenous food and bio-resources found in Mindanao fall under Mindanao studies, a broad field UPMin can excel in. – Yas D. Ocampo and Rene Estremera