What a lovely day with Dairy Queen's Blizzard treat!

What a lovely ice cream experience we had after a walk with my son at SM Fairview, Quezon City. The Dairy Queen’s kiosk attracted him to get a frozen treat, the Blizzard Caramel Cashew!

Whenever we are in SM malls my sons really love the Blizzards served upside-down. This really captures them and this is what kids (and also adults) ice cream dreams and whims.

We have tasted their Dilly Bar, Blizzard Snickers, Blizzard Kitkat, Mango, etc. in different malls like in Cubao Araneta Center, Robinsons Galleria, SM North EDSA and of course in SM Fairview.

Juan Miguel Cruz at SM Fairview's Dairy Queen

This frozen treat kiosk is a world-class brand. It is a place for everyone to take time out to enjoy the best soft serve treats. Whether it be any celebration, a family day, a self-indulgent moment, or a mere break to satisfy one’s dessert craving, the Dairy Queen experience makes you always come back for more, and this is the reason behind a sweet success story uniquely its own.

This summertime, kids truly love ice cream and anything that are frozen. Have a nice and cool day!

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DOST-funded R&D Project develops cheaper Air Pollution Sensor

Air pollution is a major concern in the Philippines, with air quality in urban cities getting worse because of the growing concentration of people, traffic and industries.

In Metro Manila, for instance, pollution levels along major thoroughfares are very high. Last year, the air quality monitoring (AQM) stations in EDSA-MRT Pasay and Valenzuela City recorded total suspended particles (TSP) levels of 230 micrograms per normal cubic meter (ug/Ncm). This is more than double the normal standard, which is 90ug/Ncm.

To get a clearer picture of the country’s current state of air quality, more air monitoring posts should be set up. However, establishing AQM stations can be expensive since equipment is usually imported.

Researchers from the Manila Observatory and the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) are fine-tuning to help bring down cost of air quality monitoring (AQM station).

The air pollution tester is the result of the three-year research project on ambient air pollution sensor that has received funding of P2.8 million from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Usec. Carol M. Yorobe, Officer-In-Charge of DOST’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), which monitors the DOST Grants-In-Aid project, believes that the air pollution sensor will be instrumental in providing accurate and timely reports on gaseous pollutant levels. “This instrument will also help the Philippine government realize the objective of the Clean Air Act of 1999, which is to achieve and maintain healthy air for all Filipinos,” she said.

100% locally assembled

According to project leader Dr. James B. Simpas, who is currently the head of the Urban Air Quality and Instrumentation and Technology Development Programs of the Manila Observatory and an assistant professor in ADMU’s Department of Physics, the team of researchers is fine-tuning an air pollution sensor that measures ambient concentrations of sulfur dioxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide.

Dr. Simpas shared that the design of the instrument takes into account the strengths and weaknesses of commercial instruments and research prototypes. “We considered actual field conditions, and we incorporated recent advances in spectroscopy technology in the design. This instrument is designed for maximum functionality at minimum cost,” he said.

To cut down on cost, the team imported only the optical components and some specialized electronics. “By understanding the principles behind an instrument, it is possible to fabricate one locally, often at the fraction of the cost,” Dr. Simpas explained.

The calibration unit of the instrument is currently undergoing functional tests. Once fully operational, the instrument will be housed at the Manila Observatory, alongside the AQM station of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau.

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DOST creates drinking water filter technology to NHA resettlement community

Venancio G. Dumayo shells out P35 for drinking water every three days or less. The cost dams up in a month, bursting a hole in the six-member family’s marginal income. But like the hundreds of families that make up the new Southville 3 community, Dumayo apparently had little choice.

Southville 3 is a community of former settlers along the perilous tracks of the Philippine National Railways traversing the fast developing Muntinlupa City to the Southern Luzon provinces.

The National Housing Authority has built the austere community with 7,000 row housing units in Muntinlupa’s hilly inner borough, just south of the ill-famed national penitentiary.

Recently, Dumayo and 499 other families received “ceramic pot water filter” units developed by scientists at the Industrial Technology Development Institute, an agency of the Department of Science and Technology.

They will be the first to use the clay based water filter units as part of pilot testing agreement between DOST-ITDI and the NHA.

The ITDI water filter is made of red clay coated with nano-colloidal silver, an anti-microbial agent that is more efficient than the “chlorination process in traditional water filter system,” ITDI explained.  The pot-shaped filter is placed on top of a plastic container that holds the filtered water.

This simple science tested solution can “reduce e coli count to less than 1 percent”, DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo told Southville 3 residents following the signing of a memorandum of agreement on the project with NHA General Manager Chito M. Cruz.

Montejo reminded Dumayo and other recipients of the water filter units that their feedback is important for possible performance improvement of the units after the pilot test.

But Dumayo is already buoyed by the “big savings that I can squeeze” from using the ITDI water filter.

ITDI Director Nuna Almanzor said that cost per unit was considered in the development of the water filter. The development team came out with a filter system that’s “easy to make, portable, inexpensive, user friendly, and made of local clay that passed the required physical properties of ceramic pot filters”.

Moreover, the ITDI water filter has “passed the Philippine National Standards for drinking water in terms of microbiological and chemical analysis”.

It is capable to purify tap water, deep well water, and raw water tainted with up to 3 percent suspended particles or silt and convert these into safe drinking water”, the ITDI said in a statement.

Under the MOA, experts from DOST-ITDI will provide technical assistance to the NHA and the beneficiaries starting from installation to performance monitoring of the water filters.

“Access to potable water is one of the major development concerns of President Aquino. What we brought here today is a practical solution to that concern. We really hope that we can roll this out to other communities nationwide”, Montejo added. [S&T Media Service]             

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DOST PNRI monitors Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan

Contrary to some media reports, the DOST PNRI is not recommending the routine screening for radio activity of travelers from Japan and other countries abroad. 

It was found that no abnormal amount of radio activity on travelers from Japan who requested scanning from the DOST-PNRI.  According to World Health Organization, travelers returning from Japan who have come from beyond the 20-km evacuation zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and who have undergone proper screening and decontamination procedures in Japan, do not pose a radioactive health risk to others and do not require screening.

        The DOST-PNRI continues to closely monitor the situation at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclea Power Plants. Here are the following news bits:
        

        • Japanese recovery operations are continuing and meeting some successes including restoration of grid power to Units 1, 2, 5, and 6. Further large releases of radioactivity remain unlikely to happen.

       • The Japanese government is considering relevant precautionary measures and instructed four Prefectures around the nuclear power plants namely Ibaraki, Gunma, Tochigi, and Fukushima to refrain from distributing two types of vegetables (spinach and kakina) from these Prefectures and milk from Fukushima.

      • Radiation levels in major Japanese cities have not changed significantly and remain below those which are dangerous to human health.

      • Discussion among government agencies headed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), DOST, PNRI, National Dairy Authority (NDA), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has begun in order to address the concern of the public regarding imported food items from Japan. The PNRI will continue to conduct radioactivity measurements in food as needed.

      • Portal monitors previously installed in the Port of Manila are already scanning container vans for radioactivity.

      • For the latest information on on-site and off-site radiological situations about the Fukushima accident, please access the following websites: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) website (www.iaea.org); and Nuclear and Industrial Safety Administration (NISA) of Japan (www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/index.html).
  

      • For further advisories, please call the PNRI trunklines with Tel Nos. 929-6010 to 19 or visit the following websites: DOST (www.dost.gov.ph), PNRI (www.pnri.dost.gov.ph); and
STII (www.stii.dost.gov.ph).

      • Latest DOST-PNRI RADIATION LEVEL CHECK at PNRI grounds as of 3:00 PM, March 21, 2011: 95-122 nSv/hr (nanosieverts per hour) and the STATUS is NORMAL


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Mercury Drugstores implement 20% Discount for PWDs

(PWDs campaigns for the implementation of their 20% discount. Mr Emer Rojas, standing third from left is the president of New Vois Association of the Philippines. Inc.and contributor of Pinoyvision blog)

Like the senior citizens, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) can now avail of the 20% discount to purchase medicines. Drugstores in the Philippines led by the giant chain, Mercury Drugstores finally agreed on implementing the provisions of Republic Act 9442 or the act amending RA 7277 (Magna Carta for Disabled Person) which provides, among others, with prescriptions to be used by PWDs. The law also states that the same discount must be given by hospitals and transportation needs of PWDs.
       On October 4, 2010 the PWDs staged a rally and marched to the Commission on Human Rights seeking for help and support of the government agency in the implementation of RA9442 law which was stubbornly defied by most of the drugstores in the Philippines. Commissioner Eta Rosales vowed full support and action for the sector’s request. During that time, only the Watson’s chain of drugstores provides 20% discount to medicine purchases by PWDs. Several meetings were initiated by the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA). These events prompted Hon. Arturo Robes, the chairman of the Social Services Committee at the House of Representatives to file House Resolution No. 221 to solve the impasse. The sponsor of RA9442 is Hon. Walden F. Bello of AKBAYAN PARTYLIST who diligently monitors the development.
         “It is a very timely decision for the Mercury Drugstore company to finally implement the law. Now, the sector, composed mainly of marginalized citizens, shall enjoy the full benefit of the law”, Emer Rojas, the president of New Vois Association said. Rojas is a member of the League of Leaders of PWD (LLPWD), a 16-man think-tank group of PWD leaders overseeing the Development Council (QCDC) and takes care of the general welfare of PWDs in the city under the chairmanship of Mayor Herbert Bautista.
         “We are on the verge of filing a class suit against these erring drugstore companies if they still defy the implementation of the law. It could have been a long battle and we are glad Mercury Drug has finally decided to do what is right. This is one event that clearly shows that the law still prevails in the Philippines and the government cares for its people,” Rojas added.

Note:
Mr. Emer Rojas is also the Board Secretary of House with No Steps Inc. (Tahanang Walang Hagdan); the Sectoral Representative of the Quezon City Development Council and a member of the League of Leaders of Persons with Disabilities (LLPWD).

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PWDs assert their right

20% discount on medicine

and Accessibility Law implementation

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 10% of given population has disabilities. In Philippines, with around 90 people, an estimate of nine million Filipinos affected with some form of disability. While 90% of this 9 million are poor and 80% of them are living in the rural areas where programs and services are not available or are inaccessible due to the prohibitive cost.

Medicines are vital to the day to day existence of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) including children with ADHD, autism, seizure disorder and other developmental disabilities who rely on their daily maintenance to stabilize their condition. Cancer survivors with resulting impairment consume daily doses of medicines.

In 2006, Republic Act 9442, an amendment to RA 7277, known as the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities mandates all drug stores and pharmacies to provide 20% discounts for every purchase of medicines similar to that of the senior citizens. It has been more than a year since the Department of Health issued Administrative Order No. 2009 – 0011 that mandates the full implementation of this law. However, to this date the Drug Store Association of the Philippines (DSAP) led by Mercury Drug Corporation (a company operating more than 450 drugstores) continuously violates the aforementioned law. Only Watson complies with the law.

The RA 7277 is an act providing for the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of persons with disabilities and their integration to the mainstream of society and for other purposes.

Members of Disabled People’s Organization (DPOs) around the country have numerous reports on the refusal of drugstores to provide the discount. For this reason, PWDs from different DPOs joined ranks and filed their complaint against drugstores violating the provision in R.A. 9442 to the Commission on Human Rights.

BP344, also known as the Accessibility Law, is an act to enhance the mobility of disabled persons by requiring certain buildings, institutions, establishments, and public utilities to install facilities and other devices. This law is in effect for almost three decades now but has been violated in numerous instances. The complaint pointed out the inaccessible footbridges which were all built in violation of the provisions of the Accessibility Law.

In some footbridges, there are futile attempts to include accessibility features. These efforts made it more dangerous for PWDs to use them. The footbridge in EDSA corner Quezon Avenue is one example. One of the approaches of the ramp is not cemented and most of the time is wet and muddy. The ramp is too steep that even with assistance it would be an arduous task to go up plus the dangerous downhill trek. The structures of the steps are also not helpful for blinds using walking canes. There are no tactile markings for directions. All these and the other flaws are more of hindrances and not in consonance with the Accessibility Law.

After submitting the formal complaint letter to the CHR, the group went to the Mercury Drugstore in Philcoa. The press people witnessed the violation continuously being committed by Mercury drugstore with regards to the implementation of R.A. 9442. Even after presenting the requirements for purchasing medicine, no discount was given.

The group then proceeded to inspect the EDSA/Quezon Ave. footbridge. The press people experienced the difficulty of using the ramp on a wheelchair and the life-threatening alternative of crossing EDSA worming through the traffic.

PWDs are part of our society. It is their hope to be heard and be included in the mainstream of humanity.

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DOST council fetes best thesis, dissertation winners

by Framelia Anonas

The Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD) of the Department of Science and Technology awarded winners in the 2009 PCASTRD Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Awards in Advanced S&T on Dec. 18, 2009 at the Hotel Intercontinental in Makati City.

Clinching the awards in the dissertation category are Proceso L. Fernandez, Jr. of the Ateneo de Manila University for “On the complexities of the block sorting and Poset cover problems” (Computer Science and IT) and Gay Jane P. Perez of the University of the Philippines Diliman for “Understanding the dynamics of unassisted group egress” (Physics). Advisers are Dr. John Paul C. Vergara and Dr. Caesar A. Saloma, respectively. Fernandez and Perez received a plaque and P75,000 each while their advisers received P25,000 each. Meanwhile, all finalists received P25,000 each.

In the thesis category, winners are the following: Banyuhay P. Serrano of the University of the Philippines Los Baños for “Isolation and Partial Characterization of Prolamin-like Proteins and Molecular Analyses of Its Genes in Storage Roots of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)” (Biology and allied fields); Kevin B. Dagbay of the University of the Philippines Diliman for “Polyhydroxylauric acid maleate-co-sebacic anhydride : synthesis, characterization, in vitro degradation and drug release behavior (Chemistry/Biochemistry); Lawrence Phoa Belo of the De La Salle University-Taft for Measurement of the sediment oxygen demand in selected stations of the Pasig River using bench-scale benthic respirometer (Earth Science and Space Technology Applications). Advisers are Drs. Antonio C. Laurena, Florentino C. Sumera, and Pag-asa D. Gaspillo and Jose Marie U. Lim, respectively.

In Microelectronics/Mechatronics, Oliver Jay B. Viloan of the De La Salle University-Taft bagged the award for “Decision support system for agricultural process management” with Dr. Elmer P. Dadios as adviser. Meanwhile, in the Physics category, Jesus Felix B. Valenzuela of the University of the Philippines Diliman bested other entries with “Segregation and aggregation in a convecting bidisperse particle suspension” under the advisership of Dr. Christopher P. Monterola.

Sharing the award in the Mathematics category are Alva Benedict C. Balbuena of the University of the Philippines Diliman for “On stable sets, orbits and digital topologies” with Drs. Evelyn L. Tan and Eduardo R. Mendoza as co-advisers; and Wemer M. Wee, also of the University of the Philippines Diliman, for “High order multi-level methods for Helmholtz-type equation arising in image denoising” with Dr. Jose Ernie C. Lope as adviser.

In Statistics, two winners bagged the plum, namely Nellwyn M. Levita of the University of the Philippines Los Baños with “Empirical analysis of the statistical properties of NEI's standard genetic distance and Cavalli-SFORZA and Edward's distance” and Ruby Anne E. Lemence of the University of the Philippines Diliman for “Testing for the presence of structural change and spatial heterogeneity in spatial-temporal model.” Advisers are Drs. Consorcia C. Reaño and Erniel B. Barrios, respectively.

Winners in the thesis level received a plaque and P60,000 each, except in case of ties wherein winners received P37,500 each. Advisers received P15,000 each, except in the case of ties wherein advisers shared the prize equally. Meanwhile, all finalists received P15,000 each.

PCASTRD launched the Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Awards in Advanced S&T in 2001 to encourage graduate students to undertake researches in fields relevant to PCASTRD's priority areas. The annual award also serves to recognize researches that have potential impact to the society, said Ms. Ermie Bacarra, PCASTRD’s Human Resource and Institution Development chief.

PCASTRD is the lead agency in the Philippines that develops, integrates, and coordinates the national research systems for advanced science and technology. For more information on PCASTRD, its awards and services, please log on to http://www.pcastrd.dost.gov.ph

Nasi Lemak (Singapore Food Republic) welcomes Chinese New Year 2010

Nasi Lemak in Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City

NASI LEMAK Singapore Food Republic hails the Year of the Tiger (the Chinese New Year 2010) by grand launching its new location at the second level of East Lane of Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City.

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This Asian food fusion restaurant announces their new food offerings and its now in full gear operation at its best!

Prosperity for the year of the Tiger Celebration!
From left to right: Juliet Z. Cruz cheers with Cora Lelina (Operations Manager, Nasi Lemak) & HK Tan (Food Consultant, Nasi Lemak)

Mr. Hung Kwang Tan, the executive chef and consultant of Nasi Lemak said that with the new location they will become closer to their customers. While Cora Lelina who is the operations manager, a former OFW and the one who started the business in the Philippines in the late 2008 at Tomas Morato Quezon City is optimistic in embracing the challenge of the new year’s business environment.

From left to right: Joining the celebration are Che Soler (CEO, Crystal Clear), Juliet Cruz, Asun Soler (Communications Manager, Crystal Clear) & Dr. Tini Tiosejo

All the food enthusiasts and overseas Filipinos who would like to taste something different, something Asian, and something interesting and exciting may try the sumptuous viands and delicacies in this restaurant and experience more the distinct flavor. Here are some options to savor:

Singapore Hainanese Chicken

Oatmeal Prawns

New things and new food ideas are coming with this eatery in Galleria so hurry up and visit this interesting place.

Kung hei fat choi!

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LT makes a clear choice

Crystal Clear teams up with Lorna Tolentino (second from left) with Che Soler, CEO of Solerex Water Technologies, Inc. (right)

Award-winning actress Lorna Tolentino recently renewed her endorsement deal with Solerex Water Technologies, Inc, for Crystal Clear Purified Drinking Water. The actress has been the brand’s endorser since 1997.

According to Solerex's Corporate Communications Manager, Asun Soler, “Lorna Tolentino is someone who has consistently projected a clean, wholesome image, has excellent work ethics, loves her work and values trust and friendship. These are the very qualities that Crystal Clear stands for. We are honored and happy to continue our relationship with her.”

Crystal Clear is one of the country’s leading Water Refilling Franchise with over 400 outlets in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

For franchise information, you may contact: Solerex Water Technologies Inc.
at (632) 642.4489 and (632) 642.3448.

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