Three personnel of the Provincial Science and Technology Center Nueva Vizcaya had a meeting with Hon. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma, Congresswoman of Nueva Vizcaya at the House of Congress, North Wing Building, Room 501 on March 7, 2017.

The meeting started a very cordial and happy sharing of experiences by the staffs of Congresswoman Cuaresma together with her son Sir Jamie, the executive secretary, who was then a mayor in Bambang.

PD Jonathan R. Nuestro presented to the Congresswoman their

accomplishment report in 2016 and shared sample products of SETUP proponents, the dates from MidEast Sweets and pickled tamarind from Granny’s Food Products. She commented that the Dates products are very good and perfect for pasalubong to the members of the congress, but not until she would have tasted these products.

Asked how much the projects’ budget of the province of Nueva Vizcaya is, it was explained that projects are proposal driven depending on the meager budget for the regional office of DOST 02 and that there is no definite budget for the province.

It was presented the congressional priorities for the province of NV from 2018 to 2022 from a memorandum of the DOST Secretary’s office as identified by the PSTC. These are the Science & Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk Station (STARBOOKS, a stand alone library) for the upland schools where she asked to provide 2 units to Central Schools having big population and CEST Program to include people’s organization and upland barangays.

Also, presented are Ceramics Water Filter for potable water in high risk health problem areas, Technology Business Incubation (Food Innovation Center) and Research Center, Pilot Smarter Municipality, Flood Warning System (Siren).
Sir Jamie articulated that siren should be installed in barangays/communities of Bambang (San Leonardo, Poblacion, NVAT and Macate) to consider that it is the convergence area of 5 major rivers in Vizcaya. Also, he stressed to install landslide early warning prediction technology.

The Honorable Congresswoman commented “It is better for you to increase your budget and be slashed. That is how we make prioritization in our national budget. Give me updated project budget for Nueva Vizcaya and I will lobby to the Chairman on S&T.”

The meeting ended by inviting the DOST NV personnel to the plenary hall of congress at 4:30 pm to watch the 3rd reading of the Death Penalty Law. She advised the visiting group that they can visit her in the congress or in her offices in NV (Solano or Bambang) every Friday or Saturday.

The meeting was made possible through the assistance of Board Member Roland Carub of Nueva Vizcaya and Ms. Rina V. Balgos, focal person of the Congresswoman in Nueva Vizcaya. Two other DOST NV staffs, Mr. Rommel Simbol and Engr. Ronnie Jay Bullawit attended the meeting.