DOST-Calabarzon sets up hollow blocks production for Taal victims

VICTIMS of Taal eruption in 2020 from the municipalities of Agoncillo, Laurel, and San Nicolas are set to operate a community hollow blocks production enterprise funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – CALABARZON this February.

Production facilities for the operation of these enterprises were placed in strategic locations of each municipality to ensure income and employment generation.

DOST-CALABARZON through its Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC) in Batangas tied up with the local government units (LGUs) of the three municipalities and has already deployed the equipment and other necessary tools for the production to each identified sites.

Deployment of the equipment was completed on Feb. 2. In Agoncillo, Batangas, sites for the operation of community hollow blocks production enterprises were at Brgy. Coral na Munti, Brgy. San Jacinto, and Brgy. Adia. LGU Laurel, on the other hand, positioned the same enterprise at their Municipal Materials Recovery Facility located at Brgy. Molinete, Laurel, Batangas.

For the case of LGU San Nicolas, the same enterprise was also situated at Municipal Materials Recovery Facility located at Brgy. Calangay, San Nicolas, Batangas.

The establishment of these community hollow blocks production enterprises aims to help rebuild the socio-economic state of these three affected municipalities.

During the technology needs assessment conducted by DOST-CALABARZON PSTC-Batangas with the respective Mayors and Department Heads of the three LGUs, the establishment of hollow block production enterprise surfaced as one of the potentially viable enterprises to help the people recover as such could impact and support families which homes were reduced to bubble and to persons who need livelihood to support their living.

Technology transfer training on the use of equipment and on the production process is expected to take place this February.

A benchmarking activity to a DOST-assisted cooperative with an enterprise focused on hollow blocks production in Calaca, Batangas will also be conducted prior to the training to provide the beneficiaries with exposure and deeper understanding on how they can operate their own enterprise.

The interventions provided to these municipalities were under the project entitled “Community Empowerment thru Science and Technology (CEST) for Disaster-Stricken Areas in Batangas Province”.

Interventions already provided to these LGUs were training on layered maps generation using Geographical Information System mapping, enhanced nutribun feeding program in partnership with CDO Foodsphere Inc. and Odyssey Foundation, Inc., (for LGU Laurel) relief goods operations, streetfood vending carts (for LGU San Nicolas), and water testing.