Kapangan’s low-cost tech paper wins top prize in int’l confab

By Susan C. Aro

 

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- A presentation paper on improvised low-cost water, sanitation and hygiene project in Kapangan municipality in Benguet was adjudged as “best presentation prize” in an international conference in Thailand. 

Kapangan municipal Agrarian Reform officer Dr. Jane Toribio garnered the “best presentation prize” on the paper she presented entitled, “Barangay Integrated Development Action in Kapangan towards Water, Sanitation and Hygiene” (BIDA KA WASH!) in the First Asia Future Conference held at Centara Grand Hotel, Central Park, Bangkok City, Thailand March 7-1.

Toribio was awarded “best presentation prize” among the 216 presentations during the conference along with other two Filipino delegates,

Dr. Max Maquito of Sekiguchi Global  Research Association (SGRA) and Dr. Rowena Baconguis of UP Los Baňos who both received the “best paper award.”
            

The Asia Future Conference aims to provide a large-scale venue for exchange of experiences and presentations by foreign students of Japan as well as representatives from various educational and social institutions in Asia and other countries in the world, relative to the theme “Asia in the World: Potentials of Regional Cooperation 

Kapangan Mayor Roberto Canuto who led his town's delegation said the paper was endorsed by the University of the Philippines for the International Conference. 

It was the first time a municipality presented in an international conference as such normally accommodated were research papers from institutions. 

Canuto said there might be a possibility that representatives from other countries who joined the conference will visit the town to validate and observe the project and validate project implementation for possible funding. 

Toribio in her paper shared the experiences, gains and benefits on the implementation of the low-cost technology. The presentation dealt on the municipality’s popular short-term but high impact community-managed potable water supply (CPWASH) project, highlighting the major output that includes the installation of WASH Facilities like water tanks, bio-gas digesters, bio-sand filters, iron-removal filters and the spring box in the five pilot barangays in Kapangan. 

Canuto said the technology was piloted in five barangays of Kapangan namely Sagubo, Pongayan, Pudong, Taba-ao and Balakbak for community use and is being replicated among individual households. 

As low-cost technology, it makes use of indigenous materials and ferro cement which is a mixture of Portland cement applied over layers of woven steel mesh and steel bars.