SLSU-San Juan – SLSU held the turn-over of its new Rubber Research and Training Center located in in its San Juan campus in August 7, 2014. "It's currently the only rubber research center in Eastern Visayas," said SLSU-San Juan Research Development and Extension (RDE) director Gary Garcia of the newly turned-over Rubber Research and Training Center. "Of the ten SUCs in the Region, only SLSU right now, is into rubber." SLSU-San Juan also operates a Rubber Techno Demo Farm. "We planted 900 budded seedlings. We expect to harvest by December 2015," said Garcia of the 3.2 hectare Demo Farm which was planted to rubber in 2010, and planted with another 900 last year.  “We also have about 4,000 non-budded seedlings,” said Garcia. The Rubber Research and Training Center is funded by the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Agricultural Research through the Institutional Development Grant.

SLSU's Hinunangan campus, also operates a Rubber Budwood Garden. “We have about a maximum number of 5,000 budded seedlings and around 4,000 non-budded seedlings,” said SLSU-Hinunangan RDE director Wade Lim. SLSU-Hinunangan’s Budwood Garden is a fast producer of budded seedlings since the Rubber Budwood Garden exists for the harvesting of the bud eye.   

(L-R): SLSU President Gloria Reyes, Vice President for RDE Prose Ivy Yepes, Engr. Jimmy Palma of the Department of Agriculture VIII who was the speaker of the turnover ceremony representing DA-BAR Director Nicomedes Eleazar,  SLSU-San Juan RDE Director Gary Garcia and San Juan Campus Administrator Eden Garces. 

A visit to the Rubber Budwood Garden in SLSU-Hinunangan in March, by visitors and speakers of SLSU’s International Research Congress and Business Forum on Rubber and Freshwater Prawn on March 5-7, 2014.

Maasin City – The Research, Development and Extension (RDE) office joined the effort behind the Duma Festival, one of the events held at the Southern Leyte 54^th Founding Anniversary celebrated from June 27-July 1, 2014. The Duma Festival consisted of a high school slogan and poster competition on the theme “Rootcrops for Livelihood, Food, Health and Wellness,” and a demonstration on the making of cassava rolls by the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center based at Visayas State University. RDE Director Nestor Morales was emcee of the poster and slogan contest while Extension Unit Head Veronica Reoma was one of the judges.

Beyond the Duma festival, RDE also set-up the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) booth for the Agri-Fish Fair, one of the major activities of the Anniversary, where both exotic and common agriculture and fishery products went front and center.

SLSU’s hot product and biggest earner were the tilapia fingerlings and giant freshwater prawn fry of SLSU-Bontoc. SLSU’s banner commodity, rubber, also went on display at the booth. 

Local millet or dawa, from the municipalities of Macrohon and Malitbog, at the Agri-Fish Fair.

The winning poster from a high school in Saint Bernard.

Customer tilapia reservation, steady inquiries and purchases of tilapia and prawn fry made two RDE directors, Nestor Morales and Webel Glenn Dublado of SLSU-Bontoc, beaming.

A former extension project of SLSU-Hinunangan, seaweed gets a facelift in seaweed-carrot pickles.

After Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) applied in July 2013 to host a “balik-scientist” specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) under the Department of Science and Technology Balik Scientist Program, Balik-Scientist Dr. Alejandro Tongco, an expert in GIS based in Oklahoma State University, arrived in SLSU on May 12, 2014 for a one month service that would cover training and coaching on GIS applications.

The “GIS Techniques and Preparation of GIS-Engaged Proposals,” a weeklong training held on May 21-25, was an effort to elevate the quality of the university’s researches through the application of GIS.  “GIS can greatly add value to research.  Any research that has a locational component can be enhanced by GIS.  GIS-engaged researches presented in conferences speak of the university’s involvement in emergent technologies such as GIS,” said Tongco at the training, noting the increasing adoption of GIS by top universities. “GIS leverages spatial or geographic data to make informed decisions.  It’s a powerful tool because management decisions are based on actual data about people, places, things and events.  Guesses are minimized, producing a stronger argument for derived decisions,” said Tongco.  

Close to fifty participants from SLSU’s five campuses attended the training and got divided into groups with assigned topics ranging from risk and disaster management, community extension work, ecological research, and asset management. Groups were required to come up with a GIS-engaged proposal.

“What fascinates me is that I was able to learn the basics of GIS through the series of trainings, but one thing I now realize is that when you go into GIS, you have to practice it. Like practicing just about any other computer program,” said Engr. Joel Guasa, SLSU-Sogod’s planning officer who was a participant of the training.

“What impressed me was that GIS can be used by the university in a general way; it helps in giving footprints of buildings, equipment and fixtures; with GIS, it can be very easy for everyone to retrieve the data,” said Guasa whose group was assigned to come up with a proposal on university assets management.

“I call it the ‘thing of the future’. As an engineer, I can tell you it helps a lot in our physical development, especially in our land use management. And it’s not only that, there are so many applications,” said Guasa.

“GIS-based campus management can save the university thousands of money in terms of improved management processes and saved resources,” said Tongco, referring to the use of GIS in asset management.

Tongco’s lecture included discussions of GIS applications in nearly all fields, in speaking at the training before an audience with backgrounds in the technical and social sciences. “Developed countries are way ahead in the depth of use of GIS because of the high demand for GIS-skilled graduates. It’s thus imperative that SLSU build its GIS capacity in administration and course offerings. If SLSU just stands idly by, it will be left behind in emergent-technology adoption.”

“Integration of GIS subjects in the curriculum and inclusion of GIS topics in existing subjects would be necessary, and continued professional development of faculty and staff in GIS through trainings, conferences, and regular professional lectures. Most importantly, is the moral and budgetary support from SLSU ExeCom,” said Tongco.

SLSU was the first university to host Tongco among four universities that Tongco  visited under the Balik Scientist Program.

Dr. Tongco grew up as a yong boy in San Ricardo, Southern Leyte and spent his youth in Gabas, Baybay, Leyte. He went on to earn a doctorate degree in General Engineering from Oklahoma State University.

In 2009, Tongco founded the Philippine GIS Data Clearinghouse (www.philgis.org), a non-profit website he maintains with personal funds, to provide free GIS data on the Philippines "to encourage GIS users and change-movers to actively participate in the country’s economic and development efforts."

Computers bristle in the five day training at the Main Campus’ Student Center Plenary Hall.

The demand for GIS in both technical and social sciences made GIS an enrollment magnet in many universities in the US, according to Tongco.

Dr. Tongco takes questions and offers demonstrations during workshop time.

A staff from the Management Information System office receives his certificate at the closing ceremony of the training-workshop. (L-R): Vice President for Administration and Finance Valerio Cabalo, SLSU President Gloria Reyes, GIS expert Alejandro Tongco.

Faculty and staff hand tokens to Tongco at the closing program on June 11, 2014.

Tongco in discussions with provincial government officials at Maasin City early in June 2014, to promote the use of GIS in government data collection and analysis.

Seven faculty members of Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) presented papers Tra Vinh University (TVU) on May 5-8, 2014 in the first Vietnam-Philippines International Research Program.

Invited to TVU were Vice President for Research Development and Extension (RDE) Prose Ivy Yepes, RDE directors Nestor Morales, Gary Garcia and Ann Francis Sy, SLSU-Tomas Oppus Dean of Graduate Studies Virginia Valdez, Main Campus Extension Unit Head Veronica Reoma and Main Campus Research Unit Head Dewoowoogen Baclayon. The seven participants presented research papers based on their fields of specialization and participated in joint planning sessions with TVU.

Research collaboration with Trah Vinh University started with SLSU-TVU graduate program in Management. Researchers from Tran Vinh University were also research presenters at SLSU’s International Research Congress and Business Forum on Rubber and Freshwater Prawn during on March 5-7, 2014. 

The SLSU delegation with TVU Vice Rector Nguyen Tien Dung, faculty and students in the TVU hall where research presentations were held. The banner in the background reads “Vietnam–the Philippines International Research Forum on Agriculture, Economics and Education.” 

SLSU and Tra Vinh researchers discuss possible implementation to research recommendations.