An idea worth some serious thought

With so much hype about the Big One, I just had to write my piece on it.  As it turns out, I got quite a lot of feedback from regular readers, many of whom shared my appreciation for the way the drill was conducted last July 30.  Still others, like Mr. Carlo P. of Mandawe, Cebu wrote the drill should be shared by more provinces and even those in the Mindanao region, and most especially those in earthquake-prone areas like Bohol. Indeed, why not? The logistics may be a bit of a problem but can be shared with the local governments involved.

There is, however, one e-mail that got my attention.  Remember in the last column I wrote about well-founded concerns on the stability of our major dams in the Metro and outlying provinces like Bulacan.  Already, age and other factors like worsened siltation and soil erosion from illegal logging have factored into the deterioration of these dams, and should the Big One come, there is a very real and present danger that can be expected from these dams. 

I received an e-mail from a Filipino inventor, Ernesto A. Labuntog of Project 6, Quezon City who was one of the participants together with his group of fellow Filipino inventors in the Big One earthquake drill at the Veterans Memorial Hospital in North Avenue, Q.C.  Although the simulation exercises were well planned and precisely executed, he did notice a big lapse—nobody gave thought to the fact a major earthquake can wreak havoc on our water infrastructure, and the damage could render the metropolis without safe drinking water for days or even weeks. This is a vital concern that Mr. Labuntog pointed out.

This reader happens to be a member of the Filipino Inventors’ Society or F.I.S. and he rues that their group was not tapped by the MMDA for their inputs in this disaster drill. They have developed a portable water treatment system designed for use not only during times of major disasters, but also for impoverished communities without potable drinking water.  “Our developed technologies can be very useful in all aspects of disaster management in both preparation and rehabilitation.  The Portable Water Treatment Device weighing 12 kg can purify/treat floodwater or any source into potable in minutes.  No electricity is required and (sic) can be operated by anyone,” wrote Mr. Labuntog and I quote him here verbatim.

His e-mail showed pictures of the water purification method, and though it would be difficult to authenticate from the before and after pictures, the simplicity of the treatment process, the short time involved in the entire purification system, and the minimal cost involved certainly merit looking into by our government officials.  Having one for every barangay shouldn’t cost much and the benefits should easily outweigh the cost of each purifier.

“It can be manufactured by informal settlers for poverty alleviation.  It is granted Patent No 1-2006-000135 by IPOPHIL in 2006 (www.ipdepotph.com).  It has been used in major disasters in the country.”  He adds the materials used for the purification system are all made of local materials and can easily be manufactured even by unskilled workers.  This should provide more employment opportunities for many of our marginalized sectors and our local governments should look into this. Or maybe make this a viable project for our inmates in the penitentiaries who sit idle the whole day.  Keeping them busy and making them productive and giving them worthy goals to achieve, with a little incentive perhaps, can do wonders to restore their self-worth and hopefully keep them out of mischief. Or probably we can consider making this a mandatory school project in our vocational schools. If unskilled workers can do it, why not our more skilled students? TESDA head Joel Villanueva should look into this seriously because having this as a mandatory school project every school year, there would be more portable water treatment devices for distribution not only to our barangays, but also to far-flung areas including  those in the boondocks who rely on rainwater or water from the polluted rivers for their daily needs.

Ernesto Labuntog added this water treatment device was demonstrated to the staff of VMMC Hospital as well as to the Philippine Army to show the capability of this technology to process any turbid and/or contaminated water source and turn it into a potable water source.  “Among my believers are Secretary Rogelio L. Singson, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Enrique Tayag (Dept. of Health), Mr. Santos (LWUA), Philippine National Red Cross, Metro Manila Development Authority, LLDA and Congress of the Philippines Committee on Science and Technology,”  the inventor said.

Our Filipino inventors remain to be an unfortunate lot.  With patents issued to them for noteworthy inventions, these remain untapped, gathering mothballs in their offices, their worth unrealized. I remember a group of graduating La Salle students came up with a prototype of an electric vehicle that even won for them the top prize in an international competition a few years back.  What has become of this prototype?  Is the government helping them with the right links and assistance? Many such inventions are really worth looking into, the water treatment device discussed herein included, but the sad part is the inventors do not have the capital to manufacture them nor the right connections in government to assist them in development and marketing.  Government agencies like the Dept. of Science and Technology can step in or the right agency for the appropriate inventions perhaps such as the Dept. of Agriculture for any invention that can help our agricultural industry, TESDA for making this a part of their school program, etc., etc.

Let’s give this some serious thought.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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