Davao Occidental’s first NRCP Associate Member pursues more R&D initiatives
True to his calling as a researcher and to expand his networks and linkage, John Paul Pacyao saw it right to apply and was approved as the newest associate member of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-NRCP) under Division V-Biological Science.
After attending the DOST-NRCP Caravan held last 28 June 2021, Pacyao challenged himself to become a member of the Council. “Why not try?” says Pacyao. “We must go beyond our limits and area of jurisdiction to improve and strengthen our RDE here in Davao Occidental. If we limit ourselves to only deem on our comfort zone, we hamper development,” added Pacyao.
Pacyao is among the budding researchers in the province who continue to uplift their curious and boundless minds to steer different research works in Davao Occidental. His love and passion in research were developed through the years as he engaged with various civic organizations in the communities.
His research works are related to mangroves, an abundant resource in Davao Occidental, and he had published three (3) research works in 2018 on Mangrove Rehabilitation. In 2020, he published a paper on Anthropogenic Activities inside Mangrove Conservation and Rehabilitation Area.
According to Pacyao, his alma mater, the Southern Philippines Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST), provided him the opportunity to learn, grow, and mature professionally in the areas of research and extension. SPAMAST, an institution that promotes research particularly in aquaculture, marine biodiversity, and agriculture, offered him the perfect environment to do his research. Furthermore, SPAMAST expanded its scope of learning that included agriculture and fisheries where it encourages different researchers to engage in R&D works in these fields. On the other hand, their engagements in the upland and lowland communities in Davao Occidental uplift the hearts and minds of the people contributing to their research undertakings.
Incidentally in 2020, SPAMAST contributed to the conceptualization of the Davao Occidental Research for Development Agenda (DORDA) together with the Department of Science and Technology Region XI and other stakeholders in Davao Occidental.
DORDA provided directions in the R&D endeavors of the HEI and the Local Government Unit. With this, the province would be able to identify certain gaps to
provide actions that would support the development of the province in terms of R&D. Pacyao is one of the active contributors in the crafting of DORDA along with other faculty and staff of SPAMAST.
As part of his social responsibility, he engages in capacitating the community through provision of various training and the establishment of a peoples’ organization. One of his accomplishments is the establishment of a community-based Mangrove nursery as production support system for mangrove rehabilitation efforts in Davao Occidental. Recently, Pacyao was able to get support from the Department of Trade and Industry-Davao Occidental, in collaboration with other agencies, for the research on the “Sustainable Tilapia Production and Tilanggit Processing Project” that is part of the expansion of the Fish Processing Center in SPAMAST.
Pacyao is a proud alumna of the lone Higher Education Institute (HEI) in Davao Occidental, the SPAMAST) where he finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries Major in Fish Processing and pursued his Master of Science degree in Aquaculture.
Now that he had spread his wings, Pacyao is hopeful that with his membership to the DOST-NRCP, more research will be conducted in SPAMAST through close collaborations with other agencies and the industry. Lastly, Pacyao encourages other researchers to become DOST-NRCP associate members and to proactively engage in RDE works in the hope of uplifting Davao Occidental’s richness of research opportunities. (Source: DOST XI S&T Information and Promotion)
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