Batasan now an S&T show window

From now on, the Batasang Pambansa will not only be at the forefront of the country’s politics. The famed complex will also be a show window for science and technology (S&T).

Compostela Valley Rep. Manuel Zamora inspired the S&T sector to become visible within the Batasang Pambansa. Thus, in response to this, the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) of the Department of the Science and Technology packaged a project proposal on a "S&T showcase for sustainable and self-reliant urban community."

The project encourages livelihood opportunities for the urban population through adaptable technology and farming systems, and promotes the "clean and green program" in urban poor communities.

The project has two phases. Phase 1 includes the establishment of a plant propagation center equipped with a mist-system propagation chamber and vermiculture facilities, and the Farmers’ Information Technology Center.

Phase 2, on the other hand, focuses on skills training on asexual propagation, organic gardening, vegetable production, hydroponics and integrated pest management, among others.

Zamora, vice chairman of the House committee on S&T and a member of the committee on natural resources, cited the need to promote S&T’s potential contributions to enterprise development and to the competitiveness of Philippine agriculture.