2014 International Research Congress and Business Forum on Rubber and Freshwater Prawn
Southern Leyte State University’s biggest event in its 10th Charter Day in March was the holding of the International Research Congress and Business Forum on Rubber and Freshwater Prawn (IRCBF) on March 5-7, 2014 at SLSU-Sogod campus. The event drew research presenters from rubber and freshwater research institutes outside the country, and from other state universities, the participation of local government units in the province of Southern Leyte and visitors from state universities around Region 8.
The Congress and Forum also featured agriculture and fishery products from the Techno Gabay booths of several municipalities, fiesta-style budol eating of freshwater prawn, fish dance performances and chorale sounds from the SLSU Hudyaka singers.
Research presenters on rubber came from Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research, Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office IX, Southern Leyte State University and the Indonesian Rubber Research Institute. Research presenters on freshwater prawn came from Vietnam’s National Breeding Center for Southern Freshwater Aquaculture, international NGO Worldfish, and presenters from Bohol (review program). The Business Forum drew a lesser crowd of rubber grower organizations and growers of tilapia and freshwater prawn.
The event was a spin-off of the previous year’s successful first Research Congress on Freshwater Prawn, held at satellite campus SLSU-Bontoc, which had long specialized in fisheries. A field trip to the SLSU-Hinunangan Rubber Budwood Garden capped the three-day event.
The Research, Development and Extension (RDE) office headed by Vice President for RDE Prose Ivy Yepes started preparing for the (IRCBF) in January. Yet SLSU’s interest in rubber started in 2010 when it started planting rubber on all its five campuses.
SLSU also operates a Rubber Research and Training Center, and Demo Farm in its SLSU-San Juan campus. Rubber seedlings from the San Juan Rubber Center and Hinunangan’s Budwood Garden combined total to 8,000 non-budded seedlings and 5,000 budded seedlings.
One of key speakers, Dadang Suparto of the Indonesian Rubber Research Institute.
President Gloria Reyes with key speakers and SLSU Vice Presidents at the ribbon cutting.
(L-R): Dadang Suparto, Ernie Camacho of the DA-Regional Field Office 9, who presented “Rubber Quality Management System” and National Rubber Coordinator Rodolfo Galang presented who presented a paper on the “State of the Art in Rubber Research and Development” and the message of the keynote speaker, DA-BAR Director Nicomedes Eleazar.
(L-R): President Gloria Reyes, Tronh Quoc Trong of National Breeding Center for Southern Freshwater Aquaculture in Vietnam, and Ramil Uy of the DOST inspect the budol spread of freshwater prawn and steamed rice.
Field trip to the Rubber Budwood Garden in SLSU-Hinunangan on the last day of the Anniversary celebration.
Fish-dance performances at SLSU’s outdoor court.
President Reyes with key speakers, SLSU Vice Presidents and media personality Maria Ressa.