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NMC-CREES visits major research centers in RP
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Posted on May 22 2009
Officials and staff of the Northern Marianas College Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services just came from a 13-day trip to agricultural research centers in the Philippines, including a visit to the Herbal Pharmaceutical Processing and Manufacturing Plant in Tacloban City, Leyte.
The visits, held April 19-31,were funded by a Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Program Grant called Technology Transfer of Alternative Plant Medicines for Livestock Health Care in the Western Pacific.
Coordinating the trip was Dr. Allan Sabaldica of NMC-CREES.
The participants included agricultural consultant Isidoro Cabrera, director Ross Manglona, Dr. Dilip Nandwani, Manases Barcinas, Lawrence Dupanchel, Joaquin Deleon Geurrero, and representatives from Guam, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Seven others from Tinian were part of the trip: Winnie Matsumoto, Steve Cabrera, Manny Cruz Jr., Ben Cabrera, Joe Cruz, James Manglona and David Evanglista.
The group had a chance to visit the sprawling campus of the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna, where the International Rice Research Institute is located.
They also visited other major facilities, including the Bureau of Plant Industry, Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems, UP Botanical Garden, UP Manila Institute of Herbal Medicine, and National Museum Botanical Division.
The group attended a lecture on modern practice of herbal medicine, community-based herbal medicine preparation at the Ateneo Botanical Garden and at the St. Luke’s Medical Center Research and Biotechnology Division.
In Tacloban City, they attended a lecture on herbal medicine propagation, harvest, storage and processing.
The group also met with Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez and other city government officials. Leyte is the birthplace of former Philippine first lady Imelda R. Marcos and Romualdez is her nephew.
Cabrera said these visits were beneficial to the CNMI because it gave additional knowledge to the herbal medicinal plants that are available in the CNMI.
“The Philippines is more advanced in these aspect. They are already manufacturing the herbal medicines for commercial purposes,” he said.
