After five months of broadcasting lessons on sustainable farming, indigenous fertilizers, and cultural practices of growing various vegetables organically, the Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) and SLSU held the graduation for the School-on-the-Air on Organic Vegetable Production on October 10, 2015, at SLSU’s Multipurpose Covered Court.

The School-on-the-Air on Organic Vegetable Production is a radio class, initiated by the DA-ATI, and held every Wednesday on radio DYSL 104.7, from 9:00-10:00 in the morning. The host and teachers follow a simple module on organic gardening developed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños after translation into Cebuano. A more technical module used halfway through the program, was developed by the Bureau of Plant Industry. 

An August 12 class with DYSL’s anchorman Ramon Fernandez and teachers Noel Celeste and Evelyn Arceño. Both Celeste and Arceño teach agriculture subjects in SLSU’s Bontoc campus. Both have a background in soil science and agronomy, respectively.

Handling the workings of the radio class was the SLSU-Sogod Research, Development and Extension (RDE) office, where Sogod RDE Director Veronica Reoma and Sogod Extension Unit Head Nestor Morales, also serve as hosts and lecturers of the radio class. Both Reoma and Morales also have backgrounds in soil science and agribusiness, respectively.

Enrollees for the radio class reached six hundred through collaboration with the municipal agriculturists of the Sogod Bay municipalities who promoted the program in the various municipalities. Many SLSU students also enrolled in the program and participated in the on-air exams.

The DA-ATI provided dozens of notebooks and pens for the enrollees which were distributed to the different municipalities through their municipal agriculturists, while SLSU shouldered the module reproduction for distribution to enrollees who requested a copy. 

For a few months, the DYSL became the go-to place for people who wanted to enroll, of for enrollees who wanted a copy of the module since part of the reproduced modules were given to the DYSL. (L-R): Veronica Reoma, Nestor Morales, DYSL’s guard Federico Pol and technician Noel Palogod in an August 19 episode. 

 The radio lessons covered methods of organic cultivation, soil rejuvenation, organic methods of pest control, preparation of various natural fertilizers, and vermicomposting. The second module covered detailed information on the soil and climatic requirements of specific vegetables, including market information of various vegetables.

 The graduation on October 10, Saturday, was attended by enrollees from the various municipalities. The majority of those who came were from the Tomas Oppus municipality and the municipality of Libagon, which provided its enrollees free transportation to the graduation by using its municipal truck.

Sogod Vice Mayor Rufo Olo hangs a medal on a farmer from Tomas Oppus who garnered the “1^st honor” in the list of Top Ten students, at the graduation ceremony.

 With the DA-ATI providing plenty of giveaways for the programs’ top students, and shouldering the lunch of several hundred people, and with various intermission numbers from the different municipalities and SLSU, the graduation had both a touch of festivity and seriousness as DA-ATI Assistant Director Hazel Taganas, also gave her own question-and-answer challenge on organic agriculture.

It’s a new bag and a USB from the DA-ATI for this SLSU student who enrolled in School-on-the-Air and scored high in the on-air exams.

 Prizes and honor students at the graduation were selected based on the submitted answers to the on-air exams given by RDE Director Veronica Reoma. Answers were usually submitted to the DYSL office through friends or relatives or by the enrollees themselves, who had the occasion to go to Sogod. 

An enrollee explains how the bottled Fermented Fruit Juice was made. A few students brought with them samples of the natural fertilizers they had made, as lectured on air.

The development and promotion of organic agriculture is mandated by law through Republic Act 10068 of 2010. The same law also mandates research, development and extension networks on the development and promotion of organic agriculture, even inclusion of organic agriculture in school curricula.

Southern Leyte State University has consistently partnered with the Department of Agriculture (DA) from several years back. It started school-on-the-air programs with the DA Regional Field Office 8 in 2010 and then with the DA-ATI starting 2013. School-on-the-air topics that were covered in the past years were rice production, corn production, organic farming in 2014, and the organic vegetable production this year.

SLSU Bontoc and SLSU-Hinunangan – SLSU’s agricultural campuses – went out of its way to support the School-on-the-Air on Organic Vegetable Production program. (L-R): DYSL’s Ramon Fernandez, Romecita Rosolada, a horticulture instructor from the SLSU-Hinunangan campus, Evelyn Arceño and Noel Celeste, in the September 16 episode.

The recently held School-on-the-Air also inspired the SLSU’s Bontoc campus to invite communities and farmer groups to visit its Demo Farm. While primary a fishery school, SLSU-Bontoc has a vibrant agriculture program, as the campus consistently harvests enviable organic agriculture produce. SLSU-Bontoc consequently held a training on the production of natural fertilizers as a result of the school-on-the-air program. “When we hear the term organic, it used to convey skinny vegetables and traces of insect borers. Not anymore. We have proven that organic can mean strong, weighty and absolutely healthy produce,” said Bontoc’s Research Director Webel Glenn Dublado, at the demo training.

SLSU-Bontoc further topped the organic training experience after each participant was handed bags of various vegetables, organically grown, from their Demo Farm.

Agriculture students of SLSU-Bontoc demonstrate the preparation of Fish Amino Acid fertilizer during a demo for School-on-the-Air enrollees and interested participants on September 22, 2015.

Bags of sizable organic cucumber, radish and eggplant, harvested from the SLSU-Bontoc Demo Farm, are prepared for giveaways to training participants. 

SLSU-Bontoc’s demo activity became hard to beat after it also gave a sample of Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ), Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ), and Fish Amino Acid (FAA), one set each, to the Bontoc barangays who attended the demo.

 

 

 

The Department of Energy (DOE) has just awarded the Certificate of Accreditation to the Affiliated Renewable Energy Center (AREC) of Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), as one of its 45 ARECs in the country.

The Memorandum of Agreement with the DOE was signed in June 30, 2015 and the Certificate of Accreditation was awarded in July 14. SLSU’s AREC will be situated at SLSU-Sogod campus and will be manned by the Engineering faculty.

DOE taps state colleges and universities to perform research and development, extension and even production of alternative energy sources.

SLSU publicly signalled its interest to become an AREC when it invited DOE Assistant Secretary Daniel Ariaso to give a lecture on energy conservation and an orientation on AREC on June 11, 2015 at SLSU-Sogod.

“We applied to become an AREC to expand our network with fellow ARECs in the country, and to allow us to collaborate with private companies who invest in renewable energy,” said SLSU President Prose Ivy Yepes, recalling a meeting with the DOE , SUC presidents, and a U.S.-based company on the possible venture of installing solar energy panels in SLSU campuses to drive down energy costs.

“We could also go into the exploration of possible energy sources here in Southern Leyte,” said President Yepes. “And along the way, our researchers and engineers will produce innovations on renewable energy. This could possibly be patented. With increasing patents, we could also generate income in the future and pave the way for many other opportunities.”

In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, some ARECs in the country used their capacity to provide indigenous power sources for their schools and communities ranging from locally made micro-hydro power plants to solar-powered lanterns.

“That would be one of our goals – to help poor households, especially those in the remote areas, to have their own electricity. Eventually we would,” said President Yepes. “The innovations that will be developed by our engineers through the AREC would really go to the community. In every technology innovation we generate, we have to transfer it to the community, through our extension program.”

SLSU’s AREC is headed by Jose Monteroso, an engineer faculty member from the Engineering Department, and staffed by engineers Danilo Metra Jr., Angel Sabusap, and Rommel Valmoria, who will act as division heads of the Center for the technical division, research and development division and extension division, respectively. While Monteroso is designated as AREC Director, the Center remains under the supervision of the Office of the Vice President for Research, Development and Extension.

However, manpower composition can change depending on the performance of AREC in the evaluation DOE holds periodically.

SLSU is already allocating close to a million funds for the establishment of the AREC and for the implementation of its programs and activities. DOE will grant the same amount to the institution in a scheme where DOE bestows the exact amount put forth by the institution as its counterpart.

In contrast to some SUCS which were given only four years to operate, SLSU is given five years.

SLSU takes pride in being the SUC with the shortest application and fastest accreditation. After DOE Assistant Secretary Ariaso gave an orientation on the AREC on June 11, 2015 SLSU was able to beat the June 15 the deadline for submission AREC related documentation required by the DOE. Evaluators from the Department of Science and Technology came to SLSU on June 22, and the SLSU President and AREC Director signed the MOA at DOE in June 30. Duly notarized MOA and the Certificate of Accreditation as one of the country’s ARECs were awarded to the SLSU President and AREC Director by Assistant Secretary Ariaso on July 14, 2015.

Geographic Information Systems expert and Philippine GIS Data Clearinghouse founder Alejandro Tongco will be tapped as SLSU’s consultant in the operation of the AREC. Tongco had studied alternative energy for his dissertation, comes with a solid engineering background, and was a former dean of the College of Engineering at Caraga State University and Universidad de Zamboanga. 

 

An August 6, 2015 meeting on the finalization of the work and financial plan of the AREC. (L-R:) Angel Sabusap, Danilo Metra Jr., VP for Research, Development and Extension Francis Ann Sy, SLSU President Prose Ivy Yepes, Financial Management Officer Geraldine Paler, SLSU-Sogod RDE Director Veronica Reoma, Rommel Valmoria and Jose Monteroso.

 

 

A DOST evaluator with the AREC division heads and SLSU President Prose Ivy Yepes in the AREC on-site evaluation on June 22. Not in the picture is Financial Management Officer Geraldine Paler who was among those interviewed by the evaluator. 

 

 

The June 11, 2015 lecture on energy conservation with DOE Assistant Secretary Daniel Ariaso was attended by faculty members and staff from SLSU’s five campuses.

 

 

Ariaso’s orientation on AREC on June 11 was attended by SLSU key officials and faculty members from the Engineering Department.

Image courtesy of Dr. Alejandro Tongco

  

In June 26, 2015, research specialists from the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) came to Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) to see the outcome of SLSU’s activities in the area of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in connection with the Balik-Scientist Program. 

Balik-Scientist and GIS expert Alejandro Tongco, who first came to SLSU in 2013, held trainings on GIS in May 2014 and a series of GIS trainings and consultations in February, April and May 2015. 

The proposal for an SLSU GIS Tech Center was first presented publicly during the June 26 program with the PCIEERD guests, selected SLSU officials and GIS trainees. The proposal for the Center was presented by Tongco himself. 

“I am passionately dedicated – whatever you call it – to create such a center because I think it’s the only way for GIS to take off here in SLSU because the center acts as the vehicle on which the capacity building of SLSU on GIS  can be sustained; and without a center there would be no continuity, no guidance and no entity that will implement cohesively the goals of SLSU in terms of promoting GIS technologies in campus and in the province of So. Leyte,” said Tongco in an interview in August. 

When the SLSU GIS Tech Center is established, it intends to act as the province’ centralized GIS database and portal and provide overall leadership in the planning, coordination, implementation, and assessment of various GIS-engaged initiatives of SLSU and the province.  

But the Center will also do more than that. “The GIS Tech Center really is a center where instruction, research, extension and production can be utilized and performed,” said SLSU President Prose Ivy Yepes. “It will help empower not only our faculty, our admin staff and our students, but also the community people on how to analyze spatial data using GIS.” 

Tongco’s trainings on GIS had emphasized GIS as a powerful decision-making tool with applicability in various disciplines. In an interview with Tongco in January for station DYSL 104.7, GIS was framed as a method for creating precise scenarios that could enable precise interventions. 

The planned menu of trainings to be offered by the GIS Tech Center include watershed delineation, land use mapping, protected area delineation, cadastral mapping, 3-dimensional mapping and other GIS workshops that will be tailored to specific client needs upon request. 

SLSU’s Research, Development and Extension (RDE) office also plans to engage local government units and provincial planning officers and other officials, on the application of GIS.

 

 Tech Center Operations

 

 Computer Science and Information Technology (CSIT) Department Head, Alex Bacalla, will be the Director of the Tech Center. 

“If we cannot get external funding, the SLSU Management is really into establishing the GIS Tech Center. We have already discussed this with the CSIT Department Head and Dr. Cabalo. Upon  the completion of the 15 Million CSIT Building, three laboratories will be devoted for the GIS Tech Center,” said President Yepes. “That will be constructed within the year, hopefully, and be furnished soon with computers and other needed equipment; and we will be starting out, probably next year.” 

Organizations interested in availing of GIS trainings or an orientation on the nature and importance of GIS, may contact Dr. Tongco through the SLSU RDE Secretariat (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; phone: 053-383-3264). Tongco can also be reached through email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

 

Students of an undergraduate GIS course seek out Dr. Tongco at SLSU-Sogod RDE office in February 17, 2015 for a brief tutorial on navigating the PhilGIS website (philgis.org), which Tongco created to provide free GIS data on the Philippines for educational and nonprofit use. 

 

SLSU HOUR, SLSU’s weekly radio program broadcasting SLSU developments and activities on radio station DYSL 104.7 FM, is currently used to broadcast the School-on-the-Air (SOA) on Organic Vegetable Production. This is the second School-on-the-Air program to be aired following the success of the first SOA: the School-on-the-Air on Organic Agriculture which ran from June to October 2014.

Already, the current SOA has close to five hundred enrollees from the different towns of the Sogod Bay area. Key to the success of the School-on-the-Air has been the participation of the Municipal Agriculturists of the Sogod Bay municipalities in gathering enrollees for the program. The program is hosted by RDE Director Veronica Reoma and DYSL newsman Ramon Fernandez, and airs in the SLSU Hour time slot, 9 – 10 a.m. every Wednesday.

The lecturers of the program are Reoma, SLSU-Sogod Extension Unit Head Nestor Morales, SLSU-Bontoc Unit Head Noel Celeste and SLSU-Bontoc Department Head of Agricultural Sciences Evelyn Arceño. All four lecturers have backgrounds in Agriculture, with two of them having majored in soil science, and the other two in agronomy and agribusiness, separately. 

 

 

An August 5 episode of School-on-the-Air where Reoma scans meticulously written answers to an on-air exam given on July 29. Several enrolled students from the surrounding communities submitted their answers to the exam on Aug. 5 through the DYSL office.

 

The program covers topics on the production of an assortment of easy-to-make organic fertilizers and various natural strategies on pest control, and cultural management practices and techniques for growing specific vegetables.

The School-on-the-Air is funded by the Agricultural Training Institute – Region 8 of the Department of Agriculture. 

 

A farmer from Nahaong, Libagon makes a trip to the RDE office on July 14 to ask for a copy of the SOA module which the RDE office reproduced for distribution to interested learners. With farmer Roy Gozo is RDE Extension Head Nestor Morales.

 

 

An August 12 discussion on Vermicomposting with DYSL’ Ramon Fernandez and SLSU-Bontoc’s Noel Celeste and Evelyn Arceño. SLSU-Bontoc, which specializes in fisheries and second, in agriculture, invites SOA enrollees and interested groups to visit the SLSU-Bontoc Demo Farm, which is tailored for farmer-level learning. Interested groups may contact the SLSU-Bontoc Administration office (Tel. No:053-382-3121) or RDE-Sogod (Tel. No: 053-382-3264).

 

 

 

Sogod RDE Director Veronica Reoma with Federico Pol, the guard at the DYSL office, who receives exam answers and hands out SOA modules, enrollment forms and notebooks.

 

 

A live video broadcast over the Internet of the SOA program on August 26. The SOA program can be watched live through https://www.ustream.tv/channel/DYSL104-7FM.

 

 

A SOA poster hangs at SLSU’s covered path to invite more students and faculty to enroll in the program. The SOA on Organic Vegetable Production currently has over a hundred students who are enrolled in the program. 

 

 

Jorilyn Palomado (left) from the municipality of Tomas Oppus, visited RDE right after listening to the SOA program on July 22 in which it was announced that notebooks, modules and ballpens can be obtained from the RDE office. Dozens of notebooks and ballpens provided by the Agricultural Training Institute, were distributed to the Municipal Agriculturists of the Sogod Bay municipalities in the first week of June.

 

 

SLSU Hour

SLSU Hour took a robust turn in 2015 by peppering the air with live interviews on topics ranging from scholarships, enrollment procedures, student projects, board exam performances and extension plans. SLSU Hour which started in 2010, suffered a temporarily lull but was revived in August 2014. The program is hosted by RDE Director Veronica Reoma, DYSL anchor Ramon Fernandez and RDE assistant Lieza Malinao.

People who went live on-air in SLSU Hour include Guidance Counselor Nenita Flores, Criminology instructor Eleazar Labata, Supreme Student Council presidents Andrew Serapion and Wilson Jayagan, Industrial Technology Department Head Ramel Claros, Scholarship Coordinator Lourna Acaso, SLSU Vice President Cecilia Arong, OSAS Director Glenn Ampoloquio and Extension Unit Head Nestor Morales. Homer de Dios and Maria Fe Novere Amor of SLSU-Bontoc were also on-air to promote the programs of SLSU-Bontoc. Personalities who had live telephone interviews were GIS expert Alejandro Tongco and Computer Science Department Head Alex Bacalla.

SLSU Hour’s celebrated event include an on-air caller, a senior citizen - Tony Regis, who enrolled in SLSU-Sogod in June and gives credits to SLSU Hour for inspiring him to finish college.

 

Following the success of the Criminology Department’s high passing rates, Eleazar Labata of the Criminology Department becomes a guest in May 2015 to give listeners a picture of the Criminology life, and work opportunities in Criminology.

 

 

SLSU’s Glee Club, gave an on-air rendition of the SLSU Hymn on March 4. The group sang a few more songs at the DYSL office after it won over DYSL Station Manager Dindo Alaras (at left, in green) with their rendition of a few Cebuano religious hymns. 

 

Sixty-three-year-old Tony Regis, who enrolled in SLSU-Sogod in June, gives credits to SLSU Hour for inspiring him to finish college. This photo, taken in late May, shows Regis seeking the SLSU Hour hosts at the RDE office, both to discuss his plans of going back to college and to seek for scholarship sources. 

 

 

DYSL’s Ramon Fernandez and Homer de Dios of SLSU-Bontoc campus in promoting Bontoc’s banner program in fisheries.

 

 

An interview with Office of Student Affairs and Services Director Glenn Ampoloquio in late May.