GOVPH

December 20, 2019 – The Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) System, one of the home-grown technology projects under the Mass Transportation Program of the Department of Science and Technology, gladly received a high-profile visitor in the morning of December 20, 2019.  The AGT’s passenger was no less than the top man of the local logistics industry, Mr. Alberto ‘Bert’ D. Lina. 

Mr. Lina had a meeting with Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, DOST’s Undersecretary for Research and Development, and Engr. Robert O. Dizon, Executive Director of the DOST-Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC) prior to the demo ride at the AGT.  The demo ride is given to potential investors and R&D partners.  It is also offered to the public, especially among the students and residents within the Bicutan area during special DOST-spearheaded events.

Bert Lina (center) of Lina Group of Companies, converses with DOST-MIRDC Executive Director Robert O. Dizon (right) and Engr. Joey G. Pangilinan (left), AGT Project Team Leader, aboard the AGT.

The DOST-MIRDC continues to promote the AGT as a product of Filipino ingenuity.  The meeting between the DOST and highly distinguished names in the business sector is DOST’s way changing the country’s mindset and encouraging Filipinos to have faith in our capabilities as a nation.

Learn more about the AGT and other DOST MIRDC-developed technologies.  Visit our website, www.mirdc.dost.gov.ph.

2023

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2022

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2021

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Dr. Carlo Arcilla, Dr. Eric Paringit and Dr. Agustin Fudolig

Article c/o Business Mirror 

Story & photos by Stephanie Tumampos

The current administration’s “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program envisions a Philippines with proper infrastructure to enhance economic capability. With billions of dollars poured in this program, the country is expected to consume an increased volume of iron and steel in the coming years.

At the First Quarter Mining Lecture Series held by the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) on March 27 in Manila, various government officials, stakeholders, researchers, scientists and engineers discussed how the country can produce iron and steel, and supply the demand by creating a road map that could empower and strengthen the sector.

According to the Board of Investments (BOI), the apparent steel consumption of the country in 2018 is about 10.55 million tons with an ASP forecast of 20 million tons in 2030. While the country’s program is very promising, the program can help local investors in iron and steel production if more iron and steel from local supply can be added instead of importing them mostly from China.

On another note, the Philippines’s steel demand is composed of five essential output products. Eighty-one percent of this demand is dedicated to construction, 9 percent for light and heavy fabrication, 5 percent for ship building, 4 percent for packaging, and 1 percent for other uses.

Vulnerability of steel importation

The BOI’s mission for the Philippine Iron and Steel Roadmap is “to contribute to the country’s sustainable development by manufacturing world-class products for industry and society.” Its vision is that by 2030 “the Philippine iron and steel industry sees itself as a majority producer of quality steel products for domestic users.”

According to DOST-PCIEERD’s Director Eric Paringit, the Philippines is dependent on importation of iron and steel, and have a very high demand, hence, “the industry is very volatile or very unstable.”

Paringit told the BusinessMirror that whatever happens to the world market, “we are vulnerable to external forces or events that could happen, so we want to stabilize the market by making sure that we have a local industry that could support the development goals we have for the country.”

He said there is no doubt that we have more raw resources or materials than what we need, but “the basic, intermediate and end processing of the steel industry is absent in the country.”

He explained that compared to its neighbors, the Philippines is “the only country that has no direct iron and steel processing plant.”

Paringit said he wishes to establish a concrete plan to put up steel plant in the next five years. The government’s former steel producer, the National Steel Corp. was then privatized, but with today’s pool of human skills and resource, “it’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it’s a matter of when we are going to put this up because we really need to propel,” Paringit explained.

Partial local steel production

In the research by Dr. Agustin Fudolig, deputy executive director of the Metals Industry Research and Development Center, and Engr. Juancho Pablo Calvez, chief metallurgist of Mines and Geosciences Bureau, titled, “Technical and Economic Feasibility Study to Determine the Most Suitable Ironmaking Technology for Value Adding of Philippine Magnetite Resources,” they saw a great potential in the country in terms of local steel production.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Fudolig explained that the only problem is economics.

“The problem is that some sectors are wary about the production volume in China because it is so huge that they are now exporting and we are buying from them,” Fudolig said. “It’s going to be a comparison between importing it or producing it.”

At the moment, Fudolig said importing steel is easier because the local industry could not compete anymore. However, he does not eliminate the fact that we have to be self-sufficient, which supported Paringit’s statement.

“Partial self-sufficiency is important,” Fudolig told the BusinessMirror. “If we put up iron and steel manufacturing, we will have partial self sufficiency, which is important because if our source at present suddenly stops selling to us, we still have a local source.”

He added that the country does not necessarily need to produce 100 percent, but could potentially produce 30 percent to 50 percent of the requirements and then import the rest.

Considering the 1 million tons per year consumption as used in Fudolig’s study, with respect to the country’s raw material deposits of magnetite, which is about 2 billion tons, he said “your steel-production plant would last a hundred years.”

A plant would need 1.7 million tons of raw magnetite to produce 1 million tons of steel. “In terms of sustainability, I am confident we can achieve this,” Fudolig added.

Power source

The demand for power will definitely grow. According to the BOI, the country’s ASP will be 20 million tons by 2030. But if the country aims to decrease steel importation and increase local production, the country must also have a stable and cheaper power source.

Paringit explained that “based on the premise that you need something like 10 percent or 20 percent of the requirements to put up a steel processing plant, you would really need a stable and cheap source of power.”

He added that one cannot melt steel if there is no enough power source. “What’s being argued is if we need another source of energy to also power the steel industry,” he said.

This is where nuclear energy comes in. The existing but unused Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) has been a subject of debate over decades because of alleged impacts to the environment.

But Dr. Carlo Arcilla, director of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, a nuclear power plant like BNPP has zero carbon emission and that a solution to nuclear waste disposal can be put in Philippine islands in the West Philippine Sea.

“The cost of nuclear power is at least half of the normal price, but it will depend on how much is in the mix of source of power,” Arcilla told the BusinessMirror. “With a nuclear power plant, we can have uninterrupted power for 18 months.”

Arcilla noted that nuclear power can be added to the normal power source in the country, such as coal. “So the whole average will be brought down, and that’s what’s definitely important.”

Fudolig in his study estimated a P5.50 per kilowatt hour price of electricity used for steel processing plants. Other studies also showed that it can be further reduced to P3.50 per kilowatt hour if electricity would come from Leyte’s geothermal plant. “Sensitivity in power cost would improve the return of investment of plants.”

If nuclear power will be added in the power pipeline, Fudolig told the BusinessMirror that  “nuclear power can help in reducing the cost more from P3.50 to, say, P1.50 or P2 per kilowatt hour.”

Arcilla gave assurance that if BNPP is reopened it will be safe.

Of course, there are concerns on the issue of reopening BNPP. For Paringit, the country needs to rebuild competency and human resources to operate it.

“We are supporting the capacity building efforts and the R&D toward ensuring that we will be able to operate it safely, sustainably and reliably,” he said.

Skills Competition Brought Out the Best in Tagum City’s Finest Welders

The announcement was posted by the DOST XI in their website on April 10, 2018.  It was followed by a post in DOST XI’s Facebook page on April 11, 2018.  Also, the DOST XI went full force in sending out invitations to schools and enterprises.  Through the wide reach of social media and DOST XI’s assertive promotions, word about the upcoming Welding Skills Competition spread and reached target participants not only in Tagum, but in nearby areas as well. 

The male and female categories were opened to interested applicants, but the announcement stated very clearly that only six (6) participants will be enlisted for each category.  Many interested parties sent their application but most of them, unfortunately due to the limited slots, did not make it to the final list. 

Up until the present time, welding is a male-dominated field.  It is no surprise that a lot of males responded to the invitation for participants to the Welding Skills Competition.   Making it to the final list of contestants are: (1) Ruel C. Navales, 26 years old, from Tagum City; (2) Rovelon C. Salga, 44 years old, from Tagum City; (3) Cornelio A. Ruz, Jr., 34 years old, from San Isidro, Davao del Norte; (4) Dennis O. Orcullo, 35 years old, from Tagum City; (5) Bernie B. Galupo, 28 years old, from Tagum City; and (6) John Mar P. Siodora, 31 years old, from Compostela Valley.    

On the day of the Skills Competition, the New City Hall of Tagum City was abuzz with activities for the much-awaited event.

Mr. Fernando Opeda, Executive Director of the Philippine Welding Society (PWS), gives an orientation to the participants outside the lobby of Tagum New City Hall a few minutes before the competition proper.   

The gentlemen in action at the Welding Skills Competition.

The audience watch eagerly as the contestants work on the task at hand.

What made the Welding Skills Competition in Tagum City very interesting is the response of female welders.  It turned out that welding in this part of the country is not only for the males, but is also a career loved by females as well.  Interesting as their being welders are their unique stories of why they joined the contest.

Group photo before the female welders don their PPEs for the Welding Skills Competition. (L to R) Engr. Reynaldo L. dela Cruz, Jr., Chief of the DOST-MIRDC’s Industrial Training Section and President of the Philippine Welding Society (PWS); Liezyl Darilay; Minnie Ellivera; Ruth Cheel Tulo; Nely Siarot; Helen Dal; Mary Jean Dumalag; and Mr. Fernando Openda, Executive Director of the PWS.

Meet the six participants in the female category of the Welding Skills Competition:

Mary Jean V. Dumalag, 40 y/o

Minnie P. Ellivera, 40 y/o

Helen L. Dal, 31 y/o

Liezyl L. Darilay, 32 y/o

Ruth Cheel B. Tulo, 30 y/o

Nely M. Siarot, 30 y/o

All six participants heard about the Welding Skills Competition through the schools where they are working as welding trainers and assessors, except for Helen who is currently employed in a private welding shop in Compostela Valley.  A friend informed Helen about the announcement posted in fb, and encouraged her to join.  Jean, Minnie, Liezyl, and Nely registered immediately after hearing about the announcement.  When she registered, Ruth Cheel did not make it because all slots were filled up.  She decided to be at the competition venue anyway to cheer for Mary Jean, who is a colleague at work.   

They all love welding.  Helen used to consider it as a pastime only, but later learned to really love the practice of welding.  Her welding skills are well-known in their neighborhood.  Welding is her way of realizing the dream of her father.  It is her bread and butter, and working as a welder enables her to support her five (5) children.  Mary Jean is a welding trainer/assessor.  She says she is fond of doing work that are typically for the males.  She is really looking for a skills competition to join in, because she wants to experience how it is to join a contest.  Nely says she came from the garments industry, but later shifted to welding.  ‘Mahal na mahal ko ang welding,’ according to her.  She is really interested to learn and improve her welding skills.  Minnie traveled from Davao City to Tagum City to personally submit her application.  Joining is her way of leveling up her skills in welding.  She says the messages of encouragement posted on social media is enough recognition and makes her feel very proud to be in this profession.  Ruth Cheel was at the venue to support Mary Jean.  It was only on the morning of April 27, the Skills Competition proper, that she was told that she was one of the competitors because one participant backed out at the last minute.  Liezyl is a daughter of a welder.  As a young child, she would always watch her father while he was working.  She got interested but her father would tell her not to come near because she might get hurt.  She seems to be the only child interested in what her father was doing.  When he passed away, all the welding equipment were left unused in their home.  That is when she decided to learn how to weld and to finally do what she has always dreamed of doing.     

The competition proper for the female category started in the morning of Friday, April 27.  It was over after an hour and a half.  The male category was next.  It was completed a little after lunch time.  The announcement of winners was done during the Closing Ceremonies, which started at 2 pm.

Ruth Cheel and John Mar are declared grand winners of the female and male categories, respectively.  Prior to the competition, both were asked what they think are the advantages should they win.  Ruth Cheel said that it is not about winning.  To her, joining the competition is the best way of improving her craft and encouraging her students to also keep learning and improving.  John Mar, on the other hand, is an NC II certificate holder already, and aspires to earn another certification.  To him, winning is his chance to earn another certificate in welding. 

Appreciation and recognition of one’s skills open limitless possibilities.  Ruth Cheel and John Mar earned the S&T community of Tagum’s respect and admiration.  The applause of the crowd when their names were announced as winners may have lasted for a few minutes only, but the boost in confidence, affirmation of their abilities in the practice of welding, and the passion to improve the craft and further influence other people to keep on aiming higher will surely go a long way.