According to Solidum, Tacloban City has grow to be a logo of resilience because it was devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.
For his half, DOST-Eastern Visayas Regional Director John Glenn Ocaña emphasised that the area’s progress has been made attainable by means of sturdy partnerships amongst native authorities models, educational establishments, the personal sector, and communities that acknowledge science and expertise as a necessity for inclusive development slightly than a luxurious.
“Resilience is not optional—it is a way of life,” he stated.
Ocaña underscored Eastern Visayas’ rising function as a hub of innovation, introducing science tourism as a brand new initiative that showcases the area’s applied sciences, innovation hubs, and native ingenuity as locations in themselves.
Reflecting this imaginative and prescient, one of many modern highlights launched in the course of the opening ceremonies was the Eastern Visayas’ Science Tourism initiative, which is aimed toward fostering public consciousness and appreciation of science, expertise, and innovation by integrating them into eco-tourism experiences within the area.
Meanwhile, DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Sancho Mabborang highlighted the pressing want for science-based decision-making as communities proceed to face growing pure hazards.
“The challenges of today cannot be addressed by conventional solutions alone. They require innovation, collaboration, partnerships, and, most importantly, decisions grounded in science,” Mabborang stated, describing this because the company’s core mission.
With this, the DOST-Eastern Visayas proudly showcased the launch of the Region VIII Climate Change Adaptation-Disaster Risk Resilience and Management Strategy Roadmap, that includes a long-term science-driven detailed plan to strengthen the area’s resilience by means of climate adaptation, catastrophe danger discount, sustainable improvement, and technology-enabled governance.
DOST Assistant Secretary for Countryside Development Maria Teresa Bien-De Guzman gestures towards the Eastern Visayas Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Strategy Roadmap throughout its ceremonial launch on the opening of the 2026 Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week in Tacloban City.
On the opposite hand, DOST Assistant Secretary for Countryside Development Maria Teresa Bien-De Guzman reaffirmed DOST’s dedication to make sure that science should create significant and tangible enhancements in folks’s lives.
“When we speak of science and technology, we are not speaking of abstract ideas. Ang agham ay hindi dapat nakikita lamang sa laboratoryo. Ang agham ay dapat ramdam,” she stated.
She famous that innovation can emerge not solely from cities but additionally from rural communities and the youth, citing Eastern Visayas for instance of how analysis is being translated into resilient communities, sustainable livelihoods, and improved public providers.
De Guzman additionally assured native governments, researchers, innovators, and communities that DOST will proceed its help in connecting folks with applied sciences and bringing science nearer to each Filipino.
Other landmark initiatives have been additionally launched in the course of the opening ceremony, additional strengthening the area’s science, expertise, and innovation ecosystem.
These embody the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the STEM Education Enhancement Project; the ceremonial turnover of P17.8 million value of cell command and management car from DOST to the native authorities models of Biliran and Catarman to spice up the respective native authorities models’ catastrophe preparedness; the launch of the Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry within the Philippines–Centralized National Hub for Regional Operations Eastern Visayas Implementation Plan (2026–2029); and the ceremonial opening of the DOST Advanced Manufacturing Center in Eastern Visayas.
Running till 17 July, Friday, the three-day RSTW celebration in Eastern Visayas options expertise displays, innovation showcases, analysis shows, boards, and networking actions aimed toward selling science-based options that enhance lives, strengthen communities, and drive sustainable improvement within the area. NEIL ALCOBER