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BACOLOD CITY, November 5, 2025 (SDN) — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) headed by Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr., Philippine science secretary, is visiting this Typhoon Tino-battered city in Negros Occidental to conduct two significant events.
Known as the City of Smiles, the country’s 20th typhoon hit the highly urbanized city morning of Tuesday, November 4, downing power lines and forcing over 6,000 families to evacuate to safer places, according to a news report by Sunstar media.
The report quoted Mayor Greg Gasataya as saying the number of displaced families rose to 6,405, approximately 24,000 individuals as of the following day, Wednesday.
Typhoon Tino struck hard, killing 20 persons in the province, and fell and uprooted most trees along the city’s main road arteries. “We are doing everything that we can to clear the uprooted trees,” Gasataya assured.
According to the DOST Innovation Council, the Philippine Council on Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) under the leadership of Dr. Enrico “Eric” C. Paringit, executive director, these are the 1st National IMPACT Conference and the 9th National Technology Business Incubator (TBI) Summit happening on November 5-8, 2025, in the City of Smiles.
Venue of the two events are at the Citadines Hotel located along Lacson Street, Barangay Mandalagan, Bacolod City.
The theme for the first event revolves around “From IMPACT to NXT Horizons: Surging the Next Wave of Knowledge and Technology Transfer”.
IMPACT Program Grantees, HEIRIT TBIs, and Industry Representatives are the main participants, with other stakeholders and guests expected to join the four-day activities.
On the other hand, the summit embraces the theme revolving around “The Innovation Archipelago: Connecting Ecosystems, Expanding Horizons” with the main participants such as Technology Business Incubators, DOST Regional Offices, Startups, Startup Enablers, and Industry Partners.
More stakeholders, other participants, and guests are expected to attend the two big events which are being held as parts of Negros Occidental, including Bacolod, was hit hard by Typhoon Tino.
The lineup of speakers follows:
Welcome Remarks, Hon. Eugenio Jose V. Lacson, Governor, Province of Negros Occidental
Opening Message, DOST Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr.
Messages of Support, Dr. Leah J. Buendia, ISA Chairperson and DOST Undersecretary for R&D, “Inclusivity and Sustainability in Startups: Regional Goals”
Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, Executive Director, DOST-PCIEERD
Other parts programs are Video Testimonials from DOST-PCIEERD, ReSEED Consortia, Dr. Carmelo V. Ambut, VP for Research and Extension, ISAT U (UMWAD Region VI Consortium); Asst. Prof. Janice Antoniette V. Forster, TBI Manager, SInergy TBI Silliman University (DASIG Region VII Consortium), ReSEED: Negros Island Region (NIR) Consortium Launch, Message of Commitment, Atty. Maria Rowena Guadalupe Lopez-Lizares, Mayor, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, “Aligning Higher Education with National Development via TBI”, Hon. Shirley C. Agrupis, Chairperson, Commission on Higher Education (CHED). — EDD K. USMAN (/)
Last month in October, the DOST was also here with Solidum.
Here’s the press release from the science department about that visit:
DOST highlights incident monitoring system for LGUs during the Handa Pilipinas in Negros
BACOLOD CITY — As the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) concluded the final leg of Handa Pilipinas 2025 in the city, the spotlight turned to a homegrown innovation that has been making waves across local government units (LGUs) in the region — Project SIGNAL.
Project SIGNAL, which stands for Strategic Incident Georeferencing for Nationwide Alertness, is an incident reporting and monitoring system designed for LGUs to track and respond to emergencies from landslides and floods to vehicular accidents and even medical emergencies.
Developed by DOST Region 6, Project SIGNAL allows LGUs to report incidents in their communities using a mobile application, which automatically geo-tags the location and sends it to the LGU’s Emergency Operations Center. This ensures that responders can act on accurate and real-time data and provide the necessary intervention to the communities while also building a database that helps in planning and risk analysis.
“So, it’s really a very good planning and analytics tool for LGUs. Kasi pwede mong tingnan, ano ‘yung mga incidents that happens in my LGU, ano ‘yung frequency, saang specific location,” DOST-6 Regional Director and DOST Negros Island Region Officer-in-Charge Eng’r Rowen R. Gelonga explained.
He added that since the system has an advanced GIS (Geographic Information System) technology capability, the LGU can come up with science-based decisions.
“Bakit kaya dito palaging nagla-landslide? O, bakit kaya ditong location na ‘to, this, this curve of the, of the road, of the highway, palagi may vehicular accident? And then ‘pag titingnan mo ‘yung kanyang topography, ‘yung kanyang location, then you can better understand why these things or incidents continue to happen and come up with the appropriate response, ‘no? So, it is a science-based solution,” Gelonga emphasized.
Implemented in 2022, Project SIGNAL has already recorded more than 27,000 incident reports as of April 2025, including medical emergencies, vehicular accidents, and natural hazards. Data from DOST-6 also showed that 132 out of 139 LGUs in Western Visayas have activated their accounts, with over 875 registered incident reporters. Currently, Project SIGNAL is operational within the region only, but Gelonga explained that they are aiming to expand the platform’s rollout nationwide, starting with other Visayas regions.
“We are now campaigning for more LGUs to use the system. And in fact, the reason why we are launching this in the Visayas is really to present this technology to the other local government units outside the Western Visayas, particularly for NIR (Negros Island Region), ah, Region 7, as well as Region 8,” he said.
He also said that should the adoption of the system expands further, they will look into the possibility of discussing with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as well as with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for the resources needed to sustain the system.
In line with the Handa Pilipinas’ goal to enhance disaster resilience through science, technology, and innovation (STI), Project SIGNAL reflects DOST’s continuing commitment to empower communities with science-based solutions.
“There’s no one-size that fits all your needs, LGU or community needs. This is why Handa Pilipinas is going to each region in the country. Risks are local; therefore, resilience actions must be localized,” DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. said in his keynote speech.
Local officials in the region who also graced the event likewise shared the same support for DOST’s disaster-risk reduction initiatives and recognized it as a step towards improving preparedness at the grassroots level.
“We are grateful to the Department of Science and Technology for its continued partnership and support particularly through the provision of intensity meters in Negros Occidental and other LGUs. These instruments greatly enhance our capacity to monitor seismic activity, and provide timely data that help inform decision-making and safeguard communities,” Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose V. Lacson emphasized.
The Visayas leg of the Handa Pilipinas 2025 was conducted at the SMX Convention Center Bacolod City on October 27 and concluded on October 29. It featured exhibits and techno-fora anchored on climate and disaster resilience. This marked the culmination of the nationwide exposition, following the Luzon leg in Baguio City and the Mindanao leg in Zamboanga City earlier this year.
The Handa Pilipinas is one of the many initiatives of the DOST aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All.
For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph. (By Jasmin Joyce S. Clarin and photos by Xyrus Ivan De Gracia, DOST-STII)