PTRI Medical Textile Testing Center” Soft Launch

Capping off the year 2021, DOST-PTRI conducted the PMTTC Soft Launch, with the theme, “Instilling Trust Amidst Pandemic and Post Pandemic Era through PTRI Medical Textile Testing Center” December 28, 2021

Through a hybrid event held physically at the PTRI TELA Gallery and virtually via Zoom and Facebook Live, DOST Undersecretary for R&D Dr. Rowena Cristina Guevara and DOST-PTRI Director Celia Elumba, with PMTTC Project Leader Donna Uldo and Testing Services Division (TSD) OIC Engr. Daniel Lavin, led the ceremonial ribbon cutting and facility tour with the media. The event was opened by Dir. Elumba, followed by the keynote message of DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña. Ms. Uldo presented the new facility and testing services that will be offered by the Institute.

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) and the South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) as partners, also showed their support through their messages. To conclude the event, Usec. Guevara delivered encouraging closing remarks.Being the first and only facility in the country for testing medical textiles such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), PMTTC is expected to fill the gap of rapid and affordable local testing of textiles used in the healthcare and hygiene sectors, thereby ensuring the safety of materials available and in use.

The initiative further aims to prepare the country for healthcare emergencies in the future by strengthening national technical capabilities to support our health sector and aid in the development and innovation efforts to meet the demands for personal protective clothing 

In photo from L-R: DOST-PTRI OD-TIPS Head Evangeline Flor P. Manalang, DOST-PTRI Testing Services Division (TSD) OIC Engr. Daniel Lavin, DOST-PTRI Dir. Celia B. Elumba, DOST Undersecretary for R&D Dr. Rowena Cristina Guevara, and Project Leader Donna Uldo with the PMTTC Project Staff

Anvil Business Club Young Filipino Chinese donate to Negros, Siargao other regions in Visayas & Mindanao afftected by typhoon Odette

The young Filipino Chinese entrepreneurs of Anvil Business Club on Dec. 23 turned over three (3) check donations for typhoon Odette victims at Pandesal Forum at 82-year-old Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City through partners Tzu Chi Foundation P100,000, Bacolod Filipino Chinese Junior Chamber of Commerce P300,000, Siargao Bed & Brewery P300,000. These are initial donations, more Anvil donations shall be distributed in the coming days and weeks in this ongoing philanthropy to help calamity-hit areas of Visayas and Mindanao.

Present at Pandesal Forum were: Anvil Business Club Chairman Wilson Lee Flores, EVP Kenneth Dee, VP Jayson Sze, Honorary Chairman Peter Mangasing, Honorary Chairman Marcelo Co, Anvil officers Reginald Yu, Aldrin Chua, Ace Olano, Ian Cheng. From Tzu Chi Foundation, officers/volunteers present were Molita Chua, Leonardo Chua and Delfin Letran. Also present was Bacolod Filipino Chinese Junior Chamber of Commerce President Frederick Yap. Representing Siargao Bed & Brewery is its owner and Anvil director Fred Hui and business partner David Luy, this newly-built tourism facility has been turned into a relief supplies center to help typhoon victims of Surigao.

Also sending their messages at the Pandesal Forum were Anvil Business Club Chairman Emeritus George Siy and President Hubert Chua, who both said typhoon Odette will have negative effects on the economic growth of Visayas and Mindanao but they are still bullish the whole Philippine economy is continuously recovering and more investors will open businesses in the new year 2022.

Comprised mostly of young entrepreneurs in their 20s to 40s, Anvil Business Club is also part of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII). The FFCCCII and the Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund also on December 21 donated P12 million pesos worth of relief goods for typhoon victims in Visayas and Mindanao. China Embassy also donated P8 million worth of relief goods to be distributed by various Filipino Chinese organizations nationwide, plus China government has given a donation of 3.2 million kilos of rice worth P128 million pesos now already in ports of Manila and Cebu.

Anvil Honorary Chairman Marcelo Co said tourism shall again be adversely affected in Visayas and Mindanao perhaps for six months, but he is hopeful for continuous “strong Philippine economic recovery in the new year 2022”. Anvil Business Club Honorary Chairman Peter Mangasing and EVP Kenneth Dee expressed optimism that despite the destructions by typhoon Odette and the past two years of pandemic lockdowns, the new year 2022 “will see robust and strong Philippine economic recovery” due to positive socio-economic fundamentals, increased investor and consumer confidence in reopening of the economy, and the added spending of the election. Anvil Business Club Chairman Wilson Lee Flores said typhoon Odette has a negative economic impact for the short term, but the whole Philippine economy shall register a very strong economic recovery in 2022 of 6.5% to 7% due to pandemic recovery, the May 2022 election spending boost, the expected opening of schools in 2022, the positive macroeconomic and demographic conditions of the Philippines, sound economic and fiscal policies, the nonstop infrastructure modernization projects, also with hopefully continued social and political stability

AirAsia flies to the rescue; offers free seats to humanitarian community, PDRF, and free cargo space for relief goods

MANILA— AirAsia, the world’s best low-cost airline, offered free seats this week to humanitarian aid staff working on Typhoon Odette (Rai) relief efforts, including those from the UN and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation. In addition, the airline, through its logistics arm Teleport, offered free cargo space for relief goods going to badly hit destinations. 

“On behalf of the board of AirAsia, I would like to send a message of hope and sympathies to the victims of typhoon Odette. The Allstar family  is alwaysREDy to go all out in helping our fellow Filipinos during this hour of need,” said AirAsia CEO Ricky Isla. 

AirAsia has a long record of supporting organizations that provide relief to communities in crisis, including the floods that swept several Malaysian states earlier this week.  During disasters, logistics assistance is crucial to ensure that all immediate needs of affected communities get there when they are most needed. It also has its  corporate social responsibility umbrella program alwaysREDy: anytime, anywhere through which it partnered with organizations like Operation Smile Philippines and Asilo de San Vicente de Paul. 

“I would like to congratulate and express our deep appreciation for the work of the Filipino private sector for the Typhoon Odette response, coming together in this time of crisis and working hand-in-hand with humanitarian responders. Considering logistics remains one of key challenges in accessing the most affected islands, the AirAsia offer of free seats for humanitarian aid workers and free cargo space to reach the most affected areas is critical and indeed life-saving”, said Manja Vidic, Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Philippines.

“There are many kinds of love, and AirAsia’s generosity is one form of love that symbolizes the true spirit of Christmas and giving,” said PDRF President Butch Meily. 

Typhoon Odette entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility last December 14 and has left a trail of destruction in its wake bringing torrential rains, violent winds, landslides, and storm surges. It made nine landfalls in the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negro Oriental, and Palawan before exiting in the West Philippines Sea.

According to a report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, as of December 22, more than 1.3 million individuals have been affected by the typhoon in Regions 4-B, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, and BARMM. More than half a million people have been displaced, with many seeking shelter in more than 2,500 evacuation centers around the country.

NDRMMC also reported a total of 15,618 damaged houses, an estimated Php 320 million worth of damages to agriculture, and Php 220 million in infrastructure in the affected regions. 

PDRF is currently rallying the resources of its private sector network, AirAsia included, to gather all the needed aid for the affected population.

Immediate needs include food packs and ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, medicine and medical personnel, personal protective equipment (PPE), clothing (including footwear and rain gear), cooking equipment and utensils, family kits with sleeping materials, shelter materials, hygiene kits, disaster kits, and go-bags.

PDRF is the primary vehicle for private sector support during emergencies and is headed by co-chairs Manuel V. Pangilinan, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. As an alliance of businesses dedicated to building the disaster management capabilities of the private sector in the country, it works on all areas: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation and recovery. 

For more information on how to support communities affected by Typhoon Odette, please visit: https://www.pdrf.org/how-you-can-help/ 

Instilling Trust Amidst Pandemic and Post Pandemic Era through PTRI Medical Textile Testing Center (PMTTC)

Christmas is truly the season of giving and sharing. This is what the Philippine Textiles Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology celebrates as it will be giving more thread of hope and optimistic service through the unfolding of the PTRI Medical Textile Testing Center (PMTTC) in Bicutan, Taguig City on December 28, 2021, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

The PMTTC is the newest facility of the DOST which will be introduced through a webinar that aims to invite all various local stakeholders. It aims to offer and provide an extensive solution to the limited testing services for healthcare and medical-related textile materials in the country through its newest tests. 

Medical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, coveralls, gowns, and drapes has been the primary defense of the people, such as our healthcare frontliners, against the COVID-19 pandemic. As it is still actively affecting our worldwide population, the use and production of PPEs especially face masks heightened the need to test the safety and quality of the PPEs being produced or are existing in the market. These tests for medical safety regulations were only available in other countries so the tests need to be sent to foreign laboratories which increases not only the waiting time for test results but also the costs.

Prior to the establishment of PMTTC, the institute through its Quality Textile Testing Laboratories have been testing some PPEs for community face coverings (non-medical cloth face masks) and for reusable non-medical grade PPE. With this addition, DOST-PTRI will now serve as the center for medical textile testing and development in the country and will be offering complete tests for both community face coverings and medical-grade face masks. This local testing capability will likewise encourage more research and development initiatives that aim to help the current pandemic response.   

Although the Center is not yet fully launched, the webinar on the 28th of December wanted to introduce the tests that are already available for people’s awareness.

For more information, email us at ptritestinglab@ptri.dost.gov.ph or ptri.tips@ptri.dost.gov.ph.

By: Sharmainne Rhey B. Caoili Technology Transfer, Information and Promotions 

Instilling Trust Amidst Pandemic and Post Pandemic Era through PTRI Medical Textile Testing Center (PMTTC)

Christmas is truly the season of giving and sharing. This is what the Philippine Textiles Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology celebrates as it will be giving more thread of hope and optimistic service through the unfolding of the PTRI Medical Textile Testing Center (PMTTC) in Bicutan, Taguig City on December 28, 2021, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

The PMTTC is the newest facility of the DOST which will be introduced through a webinar that aims to invite all various local stakeholders. It aims to offer and provide an extensive solution to the limited testing services for healthcare and medical-related textile materials in the country through its newest tests. 

Medical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, coveralls, gowns, and drapes has been the primary defense of the people, such as our healthcare frontliners, against the COVID-19 pandemic. As it is still actively affecting our worldwide population, the use and production of PPEs especially face masks heightened the need to test the safety and quality of the PPEs being produced or are existing in the market. These tests for medical safety regulations were only available in other countries so the tests need to be sent to foreign laboratories which increases not only the waiting time for test results but also the costs.

Prior to the establishment of PMTTC, the institute through its Quality Textile Testing Laboratories have been testing some PPEs for community face coverings (non-medical cloth face masks) and for reusable non-medical grade PPE. With this addition, DOST-PTRI will now serve as the center for medical textile testing and development in the country and will be offering complete tests for both community face coverings and medical-grade face masks. This local testing capability will likewise encourage more research and development initiatives that aim to help the current pandemic response.   

Although the Center is not yet fully launched, the webinar on the 28th of December wanted to introduce the tests that are already available for people’s awareness.

For more information, email us at ptritestinglab@ptri.dost.gov.ph or ptri.tips@ptri.dost.gov.ph.

By: Sharmainne Rhey B. Caoili Technology Transfer, Information and Promotions Staff

Tallest 3D Printed Rizal Monument to Rise in DOST

The tallest 3D printed monument of Dr. Jose P. Rizal will soon rise and be unveiled at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) complex in Bicutan, Taguig to celebrate Rizal Day.

To commemorate Rizal’s 125th year of martyrdom on 30 December 2021, the DOST will lead the unveiling of the 12.5 feet tall 3D printed statue, a fitting memorial to the works and accomplishments of Rizal, not only as our national hero but also as a scientist. 

The design is inspired by studies and works of scientists, historians and artists of the DOST-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP), depicting the national hero as a medical scientist, an engineer/surveyor, an agriculturist, and a naturalist-environmentalist. 

The monument dubbed as “Dr. Jose P. Rizal, The Filipino Scientist,” was 3D printed at the state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Center of the DOST-Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC) using Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate (ASA), a material known for its high mechanical properties that can withstand impact and high temperature, UV, and has chemical resistant quality. 

The structure is further reinforced using steel structure inside the monument that is designed to withstand winds of 330 kph and a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

This work of art and science is designed by Professor Jose Manuel Sicat, with Rizal the Filipino Scientist as the embodiment of innovation and positive change thus bringing science closer to the people.

“We are paying tribute to the many works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal especially in the field of science,” said DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña. “We believe that this project is a good inspiration for our youth of today to maximize their capabilities and capacity to learning, like Dr. Rizal, there is no circumstance that could stop us from learning.”

The project also showcases the capabilities of the local engineers in creating a massive, complex structure using additive manufacturing technology.

By Joy M. Lazcano, DOST-STII, S&T Media Service

P12 Million Donation by Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCCF) for Typhoon Odette victims in Visayas & Mindanao

China Ambassador donates P8 million relief goods to be distributed by Filipino Chinese groups, also China gov’t. donates 3.2 million kilos of rice worth P128 million pesos

FFCCCII forecasts 6.5% Phil. economic growth in 2022 & strong recovery, esp. with added boost from election spending & possible opening of schools

FFCCCII working for fisheries tech cooperation & aid from China for Filipino fishermen through China Embassy & Dept. of Agriculture

 On Dec. 21 Tuesday at "Pandesal Forum" of 82-year-old Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) Pres. Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong announced the following nin response to typhoon Odette calamity:

*P12 million relief food supplies donated by Filipino Chinese Community Calamity Fund (FCCCF), a coalition of 11 major Filipino Chinese business, civic and cultural federations led by the FFCCCII, the donations will be sent immediately to typhoon Odette victims in the Visayas and Mindanao regions;

*P8 million worth of relief goods donated by China Ambassador Huang Xilian to be distributed by Filipino Chinese community for typhoon Odette affected areas;

*China is donating 3.2 million kilos of rice worth P128 million pesos, now already in the ports of Manila and Cebu, for distribution for typhoon Odette victims, also for urban and rural poor commjunities.

*FFCCCII Pres. Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong reiterated his forecast for 2022 Philippine economic growth at 6.5% or even higher, due to positive macroeconomic fundamentals, favorable demographics, good social stability, added economic boost due to increased election spending, continuous economic reforms and widespread infrastructure modernization efforts of the Philippines. Dr. Lim is also confident about Asia Pacific and Asean economic recovery, thus benefitting Philippine economic recovery in 2022.

*Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong also announced that FFCCCII is in talks with Department of Agriculture (DA) and the China Embassy on their proposal for China to send technical and other assistance for our Filipino fishermen near the Philippine Sea area, in order to elevate the technological and fishing capabilities of the fishing communities as a win-win philanthropy and to strengthen understanding between Asian countries.