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DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the provision of funding was made possible through the agency’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP).
“The DOST-1 through the SETUP Program assisted ModulHaus Incorporated of Agoo, La Union to produce its first batch of surgical masks through its innovative start-up project,” he said in a report.
He said the project was funded through SETUP, considering that it “is an innovative project and a considerable COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) initiative.”
De la Peña said the P5-million project fund was used in the purchase of one unit of Automatic Mask Making Machine and two units of Automatic Ear Tape Applier with a capacity that can produce 739,200 surgical face masks per month.
Photo by Alexandre Brondino on Unsplash.
The DOST IX reported that the Molave Agri Industrial Technology Inc. (MAITI) received assistance worth ₱2,052,000.00 through the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP).
The assistance is expected to increase production capacity by 50 percent, enabling MAITI to keep up with the market, and improve product quality through the upgraded chocolate tempering machine, it said.
The upgraded chocolate tempering machine will be used to reduce the size of chocolate particles from 20 microns to 15 to 10 microns.
“Increased refinement results in smoother chocolate texture, translating to higher market competitiveness and value,” the DOST IX said.
Currently, MAITI employs batch-type processing equipment that is only capable of producing 15 kilograms of chocolates per week, falling significantly short of the existing 40 to 50-kilogram customer demand, it noted.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is set to implement the second phase of its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), which seeks to enhance the competitiveness of the micro, small and medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in both domestic and international markets.
Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña (TOTO LOZANO/ Presidential Photo / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña urged the businessmen to pour in resources on technologies developed by the country’s higher education and research institutions, and local investors.
“We urge the private sector to use science-based information and adopt technologies, especially locally developed by our universities, research institutions and inventors, in expanding your businesses and creating new ones,” he said during his talk for the Manila Water Foundation event in celebration of the World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development (WED for SusDev) held on Thursday afternoon.
MANILA BULLETIN FILE
The DOST welcomed the survey results conducted by a third-party survey firm for the fourth quarter of 2020 showing that 98 percent of Filipino adults are aware of the agency,
Based on the survey, 66 percent of Filipino adults are satisfied with the performance of the Department with a very good net satisfaction rating of +57, which is an improvement from the very good net satisfaction rating of +51 in December 2019, it noted.
“These encouraging figures reflect the DOST’s continued efforts in implementing different development programs that give meaning to its mantra of science for the people,” the DOST said in a statement.