Quezon City Barangay Wins DOST’s 2023 National Best CEST Community Award

Author: Pinky Marcelo Published: Nov. 27, 2023

Barangay Bagong Silangan in Quezon City bested 15 other communities in the country to emerge as the National Winner of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) 2023 Search for the Best Community assisted through the Community Empowerment Through Science and Technology (CEST) program.

Barangay Captain Mr. Wilfredo Cara and Barangay Councilor Mr. Federick Vincent Marcelo received the prestigious recognition on behalf of Barangay Bagong Silangan last November 22, 2023 during the celebration of the National Science and Technology Week at the Iloilo Convention Center in Iloilo City. Accompanying the winners onstage were DOST-NCR Regional Director Engr. Romelen Tresvalles, DOST-NCR PAMAMAZON CASTO Officer-In-Charge Engr. Lota Paras, and CEST Cluster Coordinator Ms. Jennifer Palaganas.

A comprehensive package of S&T interventions provided by the DOST- National Capital Region, coupled with the dedication of the residents of Barangay Bagong Silangan, transformed this humble barangay of about 29,070 households into a model community in the country.

Livelihood skills in bread and pastry making, sewing and dressmaking, tea processing, meat processing, and basic fashion design transformed the lives of residents, especially the women, giving them a new sense of self-worth for being productive, contributory members of society.

Being one of the few urban agricultural sites in Metro Manila, Brgy. Bagong Silangan was the first-ever barangay in the NCR to utilize the DOST-developed Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter for an improved productivity and crop quality.

Further, the provision of SNAP hydroponics and Enriched Potting Preparation (EPP) kits, agricultural tools, and mushroom fruiting bags tided the barangay over the worst period of the pandemic – giving them safe and nutritious food while also earning enough revenues to fund their day-to-day needs. For the period March 2021 to May 2022, for example, the communal garden yielded 213 kilos of various vegetables that generated sales amounting to P31,950.00.

Aside from livelihood skills, DOST-NCR nurtured a science culture among the barangay’s youth by conducting Science Camps through the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology’s interactive exhibits, providing STARBOOK units for both Elementary and High Schools, and training at least 50 students on basic invent school modules.

With wealth creation fundamentally linked to wealth protection, DOST-NCR provided technical interventions in the areas of environmental protection and conservation through training on Waste Analysis and Characterization, health and nutrition through the provision of RxBox and an Upgraded Emergency Water Disinfection System, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Training, especially on earthquake preparedness.

The success story of Barangay Bagong Silangan is a testament that for change to come, that desire to become better must come from within. No science or innovation can effect positive transformations without the technology consumers wanting and pursuing that natural human desire to become better versions of themselves for the sake of their families and their communities.