The University of the Philippines Visayas hosted one of the parallel sessions of the recently concluded ENERCON 2022: The 3rd International Conference on Energy and Environmental Economics. Organized by the Department of Economics in UPLB, this year’s conference focused on “Harnessing Sustainable Energy and Ensuring Resilient Environments Toward Economic Recovery.” The event was held via Zoom on 28-29 July 2022.
Three faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) presented their research papers during the first parallel session entitled “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: The Role of Environmental Policies.” The session was hosted and moderated by Prof. Daniel David C. Pamplona from the Division of Physical Sciences and Mathematics.
Asst. Prof. Ann Selma C. Morata from the Department of Chemistry presented a paper titled “A Report on the Water Quality of Miagao Rivers, Iloilo, Philippines.” The study conducted water and sediment quality assessment of four Miagao Rivers, namely, Bacauan, Naulid, Oyungan, and Tumagboc Rivers, using physicochemical parameters set by DENR Administrative Order No. 2016-08 and other international guidelines. Results showed that phosphate was the primary pollutant in the rivers having values beyond the limit of concentrations (0.5 mg/L) in all rivers. One of the recommendations was to enhance monitoring efforts and good policy-making in the locality to properly manage bodies of water and prevent further decline.
Also from the Department of Chemistry, Asst. Prof. Anthony Salvador B. Albaladejo shared their research findings on “Physico-Chemical Characterization, Textile, Application, and Cultural Mapping of Indigenous Dyes From Dye-Yielding Plants of Iloilo.” This study aimed to identify indigenous plants in Iloilo province used for the natural dyeing process. The indigenous dye-yielding plants such as Sibucao, Kalawag, Atsuete, Talisay, Mahogany, Lubi, Bunga, Bangkal, Wedella and Blue ternate were collected and scientifically identified. Dyed samples scored average to better and best for perspiration and color fastness to rubbing, but poor to average for color fastness to laundering.
The third paper entitled “Development of In-Situ Water Quality Monitoring for Coastal Management,” was presented by Asst. Prof. Perry C. Fernandez from the Division of Physical Sciences and Mathematics. The study seeks to aid in the monitoring and surveillance of water quality in the coastal areas with a case study in the area of Iloilo City. The research team developed an in-situ device prototype that can measure pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electric conductivity (EC) and temperature in an interval of time implemented in a microcontroller platform. The cost of this is less than PhP 30,000. Based on the testing and calibration of the device, the high accuracy indicates the potential of the in-situ sensors for regular monitoring of water quality in coastal areas.
ENERCON 2022 is a triennial conference spearheaded by the Department of Economics, College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños. The plenary sessions featured experts in the field of international energy and environmental economics. They were Dr. Anil Markandya, Dr. Nancy Olewiler, Dr. Philip Andrews-Speed, Dr. Steven L. Puller, and Dr. David Stern.
