DepEd launches online portal to strengthen partner-school engagement

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The Department of Education (DepEd), in collaboration with PLDT-Gabay Guro and Metro Pacific Investment Corporation, launched on Thursday the DepEd Partnership Assistance Portal (DPAP) to strengthen stakeholder engagement in schools.

“Today marks a significant first step in building better relations between our partners and schools. We hope that through this portal, we will be able to attract more civic-minded partners in the future,” Assistant Secretary for Administration Christopher Lawrence S. Arnuco said.

Spearheaded by the External Partnership Services (EPS), the program launched the portal that aims to bridge gaps between companies or organizations who are willing to adopt a school and supply them with their needs.

DPAP is also aligned with the MATATAG Agenda’s digitization program which includes improved partnership processes, accuracy, and transparency of partnership data that can be easily retrieved and accessed by DepEd offices, partners, and stakeholders.

“The DPAP is the result of the hardwork of experts, and of course, the hardworking team who enthusiastically collaborated in a bid to advance education partnerships for DepEd,” EPS Director Margarita Consolacion Ballesteros stated.

Through the system’s features, schools can create their account, post their School Improvement Plan (SIP), and tap partners who seeks to help as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The system highlights several digitized features like the e-appointment that automates appointment setting for both partners and schools, the menu of investment that lists all of the required assistance of schools that partners can fulfill, and the partnership map that showcase the partnerships made across the country.

The launch was attended by Regional Education Support Services Division (ESSD) Chiefs and Regional Partnerships Focal Persons, government agencies, private organizations, and international and development partners, and corporate partners.

Additionally, the DPAP public site will feature stories and articles about partnership triumphs in efforts of acquiring more partners in the future. Meanwhile, EPS revealed that this is only the first phase of the program, and the Service will continue to update the portal.

Official.statement on the Masbate terrorist encounters

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The Department of Education (DepEd) vehemently condemns the alarming rate of communist rebel activities in Masbate, causing undue learning disruption in the province.

These acts of terrorism perpetrated by the New People’s Army (NPA) have caused trauma to learners and school personnel who witnessed the senseless violence.

DepEd remains defiant against these fear-mongering tactics of terrorists as the agency commits to deliver basic education to all, even in disadvantaged areas.

The DepEd Regional Office V and SDO Masbate are tasked to ensure that learning continuity shall take place. As such, there will be no blanket suspension of classes. The suspension of in-person classes and immediate shift to blended learning shall be left to the discretion of the school heads/principals, upon due assessment and proper coordination with the concerned LGU — keeping in mind the peace and order situation, as well as the mental health of learners and school personnel.

The Vice President and Secretary of Education, Sara Z. Duterte, and the Army Division Commander have open communications lines, and the latter has committed to protect our school personnel and learners in the area.

The Department supports the Philippine Army, and the VP-Secretary has also expressed her intention to visit the affected areas in Masbate once it is determined by the authorities that her presence will not disrupt ongoing operations.

We invite the public to remain vigilant in the fight against terrorism and violence.

Thank you.

Pinoy inventor jumpstarts monthly innovation forum

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Inventors revolutionize the world because they often see in a different light—sometimes literally so, as in the case of this Filipino scientist-entrepreneur.

Filipino biochemist and entrepreneur Dr. Carlito Lebrilla in his element. (Photo credit: Gregory Urquiaga, UCDavis)

A distinguished professor and biochemist, Dr. Carlito Lebrilla of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is also a corresponding member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). He will be highlighting his research on mass spectrometry and the fundamentals of innovation for startup companies at the free inaugural iStories webinar hosted by the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) this coming March 27.



A business born from mass spectrometry

Dr. Lebrilla’s research is focused on understanding fundamental processes in the ionization, fragmentation, and detection of ions. This enabled him to build a complex Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer that marked the start of a research and teaching career centered on mass spectrometry.

Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique used to identify and quantify compounds, and determine structure and chemical properties of molecules via molecular weight determination. Chemists can use a mass spectrometer to ionize a molecular compound in gaseous form, sort the fragments, and then identify the molecule fragments based on their molecular weights. Applications of mass spectrometry include determination of rock ages, biochemical evolution of the Earth, and space explorations.

In Dr. Lebrilla’s case, his work on mass spectrometry helped him transition into the biomedical field that led him to develop methods for characterizing glycoconjugates—the biochemicals that contain carbohydrates bonded to some other compounds such as protein and lipid—in cells, animals, and humans.

Dr. Lebrilla’s further research and discoveries in mass spectrometry have led to several patents and the founding of at least five companies. “I realized there were so many problems that mass spectrometry can solve in food, in health, and even in basic fundamental biological issues. I just kept finding new ideas there, which really appealed to me,” he says in one interview with Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectronomy.




iStories: a monthly series on innovation

iStories is one of UPD-CS’s initiatives to lead more researchers and students to adopt the perception of nation-building through science, according to Dr. Ricky B. Nellas, the Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, Development, and Enterprise (ADRIDE) of the College of Science.

“Innovations, especially recent advances in the fields of data science and breakthroughs in technology, have accelerated our knowledge on relevant fields of science such as disease biology, artificial intelligence, and the knowledge-research-product pipeline. It is only paramount for us, especially young scientists, to be up to speed with current advances in science and technology. We hope that the iStories webinar series would motivate Filipino scientists to forge new collaborations in order to solve relevant and neglected local and worldwide problems, through innovation-centric research.” he explained.

iStories is a free webinar series with innovation-themed lectures, storytelling, and activities featuring local and international scientists. The initiative is aimed at igniting the creativity and inventiveness of young scientists not just from the College of Science, but from other institutes inside and outside UP.

“We started this initiative to showcase the different paths towards scientific innovations that can be emulated by our researchers and students in order to contribute to nation building,” says CS Innovation Team Head, Dr. Lerrie Ann Ipulan-Colet. The team is composed of innovation representatives from nine institutes under the UPD-CS.

iStories is scheduled for 3:00 pm every last Monday of the month.


Interested participants can register to the webinar via Zoom through filling out this online form: bit.ly/3EocEmD. Subscription to the entire iStories webinar is also possible through the same form.



References:

Brenner, A. & Simpson, H. (2021). Faces of Mass Spectrometry/Carlito Lebrilla. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2021, 32, 6, 1275–1277 https://doi.org/10.1021/jasms.1c00116