CapSU Dumarao’s ethnobotanical dewormers study dominates DOST, PASUC VI contests

In a span of eight days, the ethnobotanical team of the Capiz State University (CapSU) Dumarao Campus gave back-to-back prestige to CapSU.

On Sept. 5, 2013, the research team composed of Dr. Bede Ozaraga, Dr. Ma Sylvia Inting Ozaraga & Dr. Maryneth Baticbatic Barrios whose entry titled “Ethnobotanical Anthelmintic for Free Range Native Chickens” was declared the regional winner for Creative Research Category, or Likha Award during the 2013 Regional Invention Contests &  Exhibits (RICE) sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Technology Promotion and Application Institute (TAPI) at the Robinsons Place in Iloilo City. The winning team were awarded a certificate, a plaque of recognition and cash prize to be given by TAPI.

Foremost, the winning research noted how the contribution of the native chicken to the economy of rural farming communities has been well recognized though not properly quantified, citing that “the native chicken is not only an important source of high-quality protein food but also additional income for small farmers in these communities.” It also maintained that the prevalence of internal parasitism in native chickens and the increasing cost of commercial veterinary anthelmintics—worsened by their unavailability in the barangay level—dramatically reduce the potential of the native chicken in Western Visayas.

The winning project promoted that “there is a need to utilize ethnobotanicals available in these communities” even as many ethnobotanical anthelmintics have been proven to contain potential constituents as cheap sources of anthelmintics to complement the commercially manufactured parasitic drugs against internal parasitism. For the winning team, using ethnobotanical dewormers can reduce the burden of intestinal parasites in free-range native chickens to tolerable levels.

Then on Sept. 12, 2013, the same team who presented their extension work titled “Technology Promotion and Transfer of Ethnobotanical Anthelmintics for Free Range Native Chickens” clinched the top prize for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Category during the 4th Regional Extension Symposium sponsored by the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) VI at the Punta Villa Resort in Villa, Iloilo City. The same paper also won Best Poster among 10 entries.

In the same extension summit joined by some 15 SUCs across the region, another extension project titled “Skills Development, Advocacy, Volunteerism and Empowerment (SAVE) Program on Health” by Jennifer Benliro, Evelyn Borgonia and Marcela Buenvenida of CapSU Pilar Campus won first runner-up in the Health Category and first runner-up in Poster Category.

CapSU Vice-President for Research & Extension Cora Navarra (second from left) leads the winning CapSU team that reaped awards in the recent PASUC VI regional extension summit in Punta Villa Resort in Iloilo City. She is joined by Research Director Guillermo Legada, Jr. (second from right); Extension Director Emelita Solante (extreme left); and the winners.

In one day, CapSU brought home the bacon—with four certificates of recognition and 10,000 worth of cash prizes for all the said awards from the PASUC VI regional summit. (Text & Photos by Niño Manaog)