SM City Dasmariñas Celebrates National Disability Rights Week 2025

Baguio City – The Department of Science and Technology – Cordillera Administrative Region (DOST-CAR) have successfully hosted two major science-led events, the HANDA Pilipinas Luzon Leg 2025 and the 2025 Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) from August 7 to 9 at the Newtown Plaza Hotel, Baguio City.

The twin events gathered leaders from the national government agencies and local government units, researchers, innovators, educators, and disaster risk reduction practitioners during the three-day celebration which highlighted how science, technology, and innovation (STI) can empower and transform communities.

With the theme “Bida ang HANDA: STI for a Smart and Resilient Luzon,” the HANDA Pilipinas Luzon Leg 2025 underscored the growing importance of proactive and science-based approaches to disaster preparedness.

As the host region, DOST-CAR spearheaded the convergence of key stakeholders to demonstrate how STI can equip communities not only to respond but to anticipate, mitigate, adapt to, and even thrive amid challenges posed by climate change and natural disasters.

Baguio City Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan, speaking on behalf of Mayor Benjamin Magalong, formally welcomed the participants and extended the city’s gratitude to DOST-CAR for choosing Baguio as the host city. He emphasized the event’s relevance to local resilience efforts and expressed his support with the words, “Mabuhay ang siyensya at inobasyon para sa Bagong Pilipinas.”

DOST-CAR Regional Director Dr. Nancy A. Bantog focused on the role of collaboration in achieving shared resilience goals, noting that the event brings together national agencies, scientists, innovators, disaster risk reduction experts, local planners, and the academe. In her message, she framed the event as a platform for exchanging tools, ideas, and solutions that strengthen regional and local capacities for disaster preparedness and smart development.

Keynote speaker and DOST Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. echoed the event’s central message as he emphasized the vital role of STI in equipping communities with the capacity to prevent, reduce, and respond to disaster risks. He highlighted DOST-led programs such as GeoRiskPH, Project SARAi, DANAS Project, MOCCOV, GRIND, and Innovation Hubs as vital components of the country’s broader resilience agenda.

“Let us take action. Let us be prepared. Let us be HANDA,” he said, rallying participants to champion science as a tool for survival and progress.

Presidential Assistant for Northern Luzon Assistant Secretary Ana Carmela V. Remigio also graced the occasion and expressed her support for DOST’s continuing initiatives. She recognized that these efforts align with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration and with the strategic priorities outlined in the Philippine Development Plan.

In the afternoon of the same day, the 2025 Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) in CAR was formally launched, also under the leadership of DOST-CAR. The regional celebration carried the theme “Building Smart and Sustainable Communities” and focused on the application of STI in improving local livelihoods, education, public services, and environmental management.

Dr. Bantog once again emphasized the importance of making science accessible, responsive, and empowering for all Filipinos, particularly those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

Among the highlights of the RSTW opening was the launch of DOST-CAR’s official mascot, “CURIOSTI,” which symbolizes curiosity and the enthusiasm to explore science among learners and the general public. The mascot is expected to be a visual icon of DOST-CAR’s continuing commitment to promote science culture in the region.

Secretary Solidum returned to spotlight DOST’s four core pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability, and reaffirmed the agency’s role in building stronger, innovation-driven local economies.

As part of DOST’s support for the Cordilleras, a ceremonial turnover of mountain engineering technologies was also conducted. These included slope stability analysis and engineering interventions for rice terraces and roads in terrain areas, as well as an artificial groundwater recharge facility designed to help mitigate droughts and flooding in vulnerable upland communities.

Throughout the three-day celebration, participants are expected to engage in various forums, technical sessions, and exhibits showcasing ready-for-adoption technologies from DOST agencies, partner SUCs, LGUs, and private sector collaborators. From tools for disaster risk reduction to smart solutions for agriculture, health, and infrastructure, the events aim to bridge the gap between science and the communities that need it most. (Nelson Santos)

In recent years, the youth have proven that TikTok challenges aren’t the only battles they are willing to take on. Across the globe, they have emerged as a strong and fundamental player in addressing the multifaceted issues that slowly decapitate the world. 

More than just a demographic or a fleeting trend, the youth’s firsthand experience in this climate crisis leads them to be actively involved in bringing fresh perspectives, unburdened by the status quo, that are essential to developing a more effective policy and actions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

Today, there are 1.2 billion youth, accounting for 16 percent of the global population, according to the United Nations. The number of youth is projected to grow by 7 percent more, which is nearly 1.3 billion, by 2030. With the increasing number and demands for change, the youth don’t wait for permission to take action; they are already organizing and mobilizing.

From Fridays for Future, established by a 15-year-old, that takes over the streets of Europe and other parts of Asia, to the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) councils in the Philippines, these young people are fearlessly exposing the inadequacies of governments and their failure to ensure justice for the people and the planet. 

On July 20, 2025, the SK councils of Igpit and Barra town in Opol, Misamis Oriental, and the youth group Hirang na Hiraya, declared a Climate Emergency for their respective towns. Misamis Oriental is a coastal province, recognized for its natural beauty. Still, a fossil fuel power plant is also situated in the area, which causes its beauty to deteriorate over time. 

The SK councils of Brgy. Cabusay, Labo, Camarines Norte, also recognized the urgency of this climate crisis, so last November 13, 2024, they declared a Climate Emergency through a resolution. This is the first climate emergency declaration by an SK local government unit. Through this initiative, they have demonstrated commitment to their future. This declaration recognizes the urgent need for sustained action to assess the demands of the climate crisis.

We are not only seeing the youth in the streets or their towns; they are taking the movement to the highest court.  On July 23, 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave its Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change. Through the voices of 27 students from the University of the South Pacific, we now have an ICJ ruling that countries must comply with their climate obligations, holding rich polluting countries accountable for the climate crisis.

These campaigns, initiated by these young people, are proof that this generation refuses to inherit an ash-covered planet without a fight. This generation’s youth is not simply a representation but an effective community organizer, scientist, storyteller, frontliner, and leader.

They see through the poor performance of the government, the two-faced institutions that fund these dirty power plants, and the greedy fossil fuel companies. The youth demand accountability from these major polluters for a livable future. 

With the worsening crisis, the people can no longer be swayed by the status quo. The world doesn’t need more empty summits, declarations, and bankrupt governments; it requires a profound system change, and the youth are yearning for it.

Quezon City, Philippines — In May 2025, the Supreme Court (SC) set a dangerous precedent when it declared the local mining ban in Occidental Mindoro unconstitutional. The ruling stated that local government units (LGUs) do not have the right to impose policies that threaten to override national laws like Republic Act (RA) No. 7942, or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, which centralizes the authority to control mineral resources and regulate mining operations. 

The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) vehemently condemns the SC’s decision to nullify the 25-year moratorium on mining enacted by the provincial government of Occidental Mindoro and the municipality of Abra De Ilog. This is an appalling reversal of significant steps made by climate-vulnerable communities who are determined to take back their future from the current situation of ecological degradation, displacement, cultural loss, food insecurity, and health issues caused by the irreversible consequences of mining.

PMCJ further criticizes the SC’s decision as it sets a bad precedent that an LGU’s local autonomy and vested mandate to uphold the health, security, well-being, and interests of its constituents can easily be set aside when the bottom line of mining companies is threatened. The decision blatantly contradicts the fundamental rights of people and communities that are inherent in every individual and enshrined in the fundamental laws of the land. PMCJ notes that LGUs and their constituents enjoy mutual stewardship, knowledge, and a social obligation to protect their ancestral lands and natural resources that no one else–not even the highest court in the land–can match.

The decision is legal bullying, and SC’s use of authority is misplaced. Legal intimidation is a common reproach used to de-mobilize communities that embrace climate justice and other just causes, resulting in resisting oppressive national policies. The mining ban was first legally challenged by Agusan Petroleum and Mineral Corporation, a mining firm with a Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA), a legal contract under the Mining Act that permits large-scale mining by foreign or domestic entities in partnership with the national government. 

PMCJ slams the SC for doubling down and affirming that community efforts aiming to shut down the extractive activities of mining companies qualify as violations of the non-impairment clause in the Constitution and the Regalian Doctrine, which declares all lands and natural resources in the public domain as properties of the state. The SC  unfortunately does not recognize the mining ban as a righteous and necessary response to the mining companies’ exploitation of local ecosystems and mining-affected populations.

PMCJ highlights that this issue exposes how neoliberal economic policy and the centralization of state power work together to ensure that profit and corporate interests take utmost precedence over the pressing societal demand for climate justice. The SC’s ruling looks down upon the agency and self-determination of local communities and indigenous peoples at the frontlines of an ecological crisis not of their own making, but for which they are forced to pay the highest price.

The Mining Act is a bastardization of the state’s duty to the Filipino people, whose lives are now only second-rate to large-scale and foreign-led extractivist industries. Hence, PMCJ finds it necessary and urgent to repeal the Mining Act or to radically amend provisions that legalize harm to community welfare and ecological integrity. 

The climate justice group also calls for the passing of the People’s Just Transition Mineral Management  Bill, which would advance a community-led resource governance framework, place mandatory emphasis on Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and institutionalize strong environmental safeguards and build back the mineral and mines value chain for the development of the country’s national industrialization balanced with ecological restoration.

Furthermore, PMCJ identifies a need to empower local governments, local communities, and indigenous peoples to resist the extractive industry that has, for decades, diminished the ecological capacity of the nation to endure the climate crisis. To that end, LGUs must be further capacitated to critically assess and oppose environmentally harmful projects through strict environmental impact assessments and zoning power. At the same time, the local communities and indigenous people require the support of accessible legal aid, scientific, and grassroots governance and civic action.

As part of the 2025 Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) celebration in the Cordillera Administrative Region, the Department of Science and Technology – CAR (DOST-CAR) spearheaded a series of major events on August 8, 2025, held in both Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet. The activities were led by DOST Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr., together with DOST executives, regional stakeholders, and media partners.

The day began with an STI Site Visit to Northland Food Products in Baguio City, an adopter of the DOST-FNRI Enhanced Nutribun Technology. The company, assisted by DOST-CAR in 2021 through PSTO-Benguet, launched its “Good Baker” brand featuring squash, carrot, and sweet potato variants of the e-Nutribun. In 2025, it introduced Nutribunnet and Nutricookies, using FNRI’s latest product enhancements. Secretary Solidum lauded the enterprise for supporting the fight against hunger and malnutrition through food innovation.

Following the site visit, DOST-CAR officially launched the DOST-PSTO Baguio-Benguet Innovation Hub (iHUB), strategically located along Governor Pack Road. The iHUB was envisioned as a collaborative space for MSMEs, startups, and academic researchers to access technical support, resources, and S&T-based solutions. Secretary Solidum emphasized the hub’s role in advancing innovation ecosystems and promoting a stronger S&T presence in the region.

A significant highlight of the day was the unveiling of the plaque for the Artificial Groundwater Recharge Facility (AGRF) at the Athletic Bowl in Burnham Park, Baguio City, led by DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong. Another AGRF site is situated at the Strawberry Farm in Betag, La Trinidad, Benguet, attended by DOST delegates and La Trinidad, Benguet representatives led by its City Mayor, Hon. Roderick C. Awingan. The AGRF is a climate-resilient, science-based solution to recurring challenges in water scarcity, flooding, and extreme weather. It works by injecting clean rainwater into aquifers through recharge wells during the rainy season, boosting groundwater infiltration and storage. This reduces flood risks, minimizes damage to agriculture and infrastructure, and helps secure a steady year-round water supply. The pilot initiative was funded by the DOST, implemented by ERDB–WWRRDEC under the DOST NICER Program, and is monitored by DOST–PCIEERD.

Capping the day’s lineup of activities, DOST inaugurated the Advanced Manufacturing Center – Cordillera (AMCEN-CAR) at Benguet State University. This marked the first AMCEN in the Cordillera and the fifth in the country, providing local industries and institutions with access to equipment, expertise, and research in advanced manufacturing. The launch demonstrated DOST’s commitment to strengthening regional industrial competitiveness through cutting-edge science and technology.

Through these back-to-back events, DOST-CAR showcased how S&T investments and partnerships are creating tangible impacts across sectors. As host of RSTW 2025, the regional office reaffirmed its mission to bridge innovation and inclusive development for the people of the Cordilleras. (Nelson Santos)

Dasmariñas, Cavite – On August 1–2, 2025, the Provincial Science and Technology Office – Cavite (PSTO-Cavite), in partnership with DOST – Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI) and DLSU-Dasmariñas High School, successfully held the Invent School Program at Mutien-Marie Hall, DLSU-D. The event also featured the special participation of Erovoutika Robotics and Automation Solutions.

Fifty (50) selected high school students participated in the two-day seminar-workshop, which aimed to spark creativity and promote innovation among young Lasallians. The program featured engaging activities and learning sessions on intellectual property rights, prototype development, and commercialization strategies.

The Invent School Program is a flagship initiative of DOST-TAPI that seeks to develop the next generation of Filipino innovators by providing students with foundational knowledge and hands-on experience in science and technology. (DOST CAVITE)

In partnership with the Philippine National Police – CALABARZON, the Provincial Government of Cavite, and the City Government of Tagaytay, the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region IV-A successfully concluded the Integrated Tourist Safety and Security Seminar for Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOPCOP) from August 5-8, 2025 in Tagaytay City, Cavite.

The seminar, which was attended by 50 tourist police officers from different cities and municipalities in Cavite, empowered the participants and equipped them with knowledge and skills to ensure the physical safety and security of foreign and local tourists and provide quality services that meet tourism standards.

Resource speakers from the DOT and the Cavite Provincial Police Office covered topics such as the Philippine tourism industry, child-safe tourism, human rights, and gender and development. Ms. Rosanni R. Sarile of the Premier Cavite Tourism Board, Inc. discussed Philippine history and Cavite culture and tourism, while representatives from the PDRRMO conducted first-aid training for tourist police.

The Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE) was also a highlight of the comprehensive TOPCOP seminar as Ms. Cecilia Biñas, a DOT-accredited speaker, gave an enlightening lecture on the topic. On the last day of the seminar, an open forum with local tourism stakeholders was conducted to address issues on tourist safety and security.

DOT IV-A Regional Director Marites T. Castro lauded the participants for their commitment and reiterated the significance of the seminar in achieving a safer and more secure tourism environment in the region. (Cavite Tourism fb)