LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Cordillera office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-CAR) disclosed the ceramic water filter facility in Bila, Bauko, Mountain Province will be operational within the first semester of this year after the designated personnel shall have undergone the required management and operation training administered by the technical personnel of the agency.
Victor Mariano, DOST-CAR regional director, said the facility will supply the water filter needs of government agencies and local government unites for potable water supply to the public, especially during natural calamities and emergency situations.
The establishment of the ceramic water filter facility in Bauko, Mountain Province is a convergence project of the DOST-CAR, the Bauko municipal government and the Department of Trade and Industry.
Norberto Cobaldes, DOST-CAR science research specialist, said barangay Bila was chosen as the site for the novel project because the clay sample taken from the area was the only one that passed the stringent tests conducted among nine clay samples taken from the different parts of Mountain Province required for a ceramic water filter.
However, he declined to provide the details on why was the clay sample taken from barangay Bila in Bauko was the only sample that passed the series of tests conducted by the agency for the purpose of locating the possible site where the facility will be established to ensure the viability of the ceramic water filter.
Bauko Mayor Abraham Akilit donated portions of his property in the area to serve as the site where the ceramic water manufacturing facility will be situated while the concerned government agencies and the local government pooled their resources for the construction of the building to house the equipment for full operation of the plant.
Cobaldes claimed another important aspect considered by the agency in selecting Bauko as the site for the ceramic water filter project is the traditional pottery industry in the area that served as an added boost in reviving the industry to guarantee sustainable income for those who will be involved in the large-scale manufacture of the ceramic water filters.
Cobaldes added the series of training for the personnel who will manage and operate the plant will be done before the end of the first quarter this year in time for the facility’s full operation by the end of the second quarter to ensure adequate supply of ceramic water filters for distribution to agencies and local governments as part of their disaster preparedness.
Mayor Akilit said the concerned stakeholders in the municipality are eagerly awaiting the full blast operation of the facility to provide a sustainable livelihood for the people who will, directly and indirectly, benefit from the project as it will complement the possible revival of the pottery business of the local residents in Bila.
By HENT
