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News: PGC Mindanao starts genome sequencing

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Announcements

[Reprinted from Mindanews: https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2021/06/faster-detection-of-covid-19-variants-in-mindanao-expected-as-pgc-in-up-mindanao-starts-genome-sequencing/?fbclid=IwAR1EExizBt0NHT-xFae9dXXcs3tgLB2jImEUgZdToIiyzCaJd4BM5FSRWoA

Faster detection of COVID-19 variants in Mindanao expected as PGC in UP Mindanao starts genome sequencing

By ANTONIO L. COLINA IV -JUNE 20, 2021 10:10 PM

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 June) — Starting this week, samples of specimens to detect the presence of COVID-19 variants in Mindanao will no longer be sent to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) at the University of the Philippines (UP) campus in Diliman, Quezon City but to the PGC Mindanao at the UP Mindanao campus here. 

Dr. Lyre Murao, PGC Mindanao program director and professor of virology at UP Mindanao told a virtual presser on Friday that  they expect a turnaround time of one to two weeks per batch of samples that will be processed for whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Samples sent to the PGC in UP Diliman from Mindanao had a month-long turnaround.

PGC Mindanao targets to gather samples from all six regions of Mindanao and in fact has samples already for processing.

Earlier this month, Murao told MindaNews they will soon start pilot sequencing covering the entire Mindanao in collaboration with Accessible Genomics, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the University of Glasgow.

Murao told the virtual presser on Friday that  PGC Mindanao is collaborating with COVID-19 laboratories from different parts of Mindanao to get a clearer picture of the situation in the country’s second-largest island grouping.

Through the sequencing, new variants circulating in different communities will be determined to enable efficient monitoring of the mutated viruses of SARS-CoV-2, if they are more transmissible, cause more severe diseases, or lessen the efficacy of the vaccines.

“Why is that important? Because this will give us an idea of what kind of SARS- CoV-2 viruses do we have right now. Are these like the old original viruses or are they more transmissible? That means they can spread easily, or do they cause more severe diseases? Or, since vaccination is rolling out,  will we soon have viruses that can escape these vaccines? Those are some of the things we want to monitor for these viruses,” she said.

She added that the sequencing can also provide analysis on how the virus spreads, more accurately and efficiently than the data provided in the contact-tracing, which suffers from some lapses.

“Contact-tracing allows us to indicate the people who have been infected due to one person, but there are gaps in contact tracing because the information that is given to contact tracers may not be accurate or some of them may not be true. But the beauty of sequencing is that we can also do a similar kind of analysis but sequences don’t lie. So, the information that we can get from sequences is accurate,” she added.

According to the World Health Organization, sequencing “enabled the world to rapidly identify SARS-CoV-2 and develop diagnostic tests and other tools for outbreak management” and continued genome sequencing “supports the monitoring of the disease’s spread and evolution of the virus.” 

Health authorities in the country earlier confirmed the detection of the South African, UK and Indian variants in the National Capital Region and Cebu, including the latest variant called “P-3” that was first detected in the Philippines.

Davao City reported on February 13 its first case of the UK variant or B.1.1.7, after a specimen of a 10-year-old boy whose family had no travel history yielded positive genome sequencing results.

As of June 19, the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao reported 36,672 cases with 8,386 active, 26,994 recoveries, and 1,292 deaths.

Out of the total cases, Davao City logged 21,452 cases with 4,564 active, 16,059 recoveries and 829 deaths.

Davao de Oro tallied 2,745 cases, Davao del Norte with 6,899, Davao del Sur with 2,750, Davao Occidental with  480 and Davao Oriental with 2,346.  (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

UP Alumni Association forums, June 2021

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Announcements

2021 062221 UPAA COMMUNITY PANTRYE-KAPIHAN NG BAYAN SA U.P. ON “COMMUNITY PANTRIES”

Dear Fellow Alumni:

I am pleased to invite you to the next session of “e-Kapihan ng Bayan sa U.P.” via Zoom on 22 June 2021, Tuesday, 10:00-11:00 a.m. (Manila time). The discussion will center on the popular community pantries, which started on Maginhawa Street in Diliman, Quezon City.

The resource speaker will be Ms. Ana Patricia Non (in photo, left) of the Maginhawa Community Pantry.

Those interested are invited to register with the UPAA Secretariat at Tels. 920-6868; 920-6871; Mobile 0917-8372098; or e-mail  to get the Zoom meeting ID and your personal participant’s password.

“E-Kapihan ng Bayan sa U.P.” is a public service project of the UPAA that aims to serve as a vehicle for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to the Filipino people’s advancement as a nation. In a democracy like the Philippines, such public discourse is a valuable tool for guiding the national leaders and all concerned citizens to collectively confront and attempt to resolve the challenges posed by current issues of general concern.

We look forward to your joining us at the e-Kapihan!

Sincerely yours,

REYNALDO C. LASERNA

President and Alumni Regent

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2021 062621 GLOBAL-FORUMThe Global Network of the University of the Philippines Alumni Associations, in collaboration with a number of organizations, is organizing a "Global Forum on Racism, Discrimination, and Asian Hate" on 26-27 June 2021 [Philippine time: 11PM-2AM]. 
 
"Dear Fellow UP alumni,
I am sharing with you the flyer announcing the "Global Forum on Racism, Discrimination, and Asian Hate in support of the UNESCO Global Call Against Racism on June 26-27, 2021 [Philippine time: 11PM-2AM]. This is a UP alumni-led initiative by UPAA in America, Inc. and three European country organizations in Geneva, Germany and Netherlands in a collaborative endeavor to work together and focus on this issue that affects Filipinos who live and work in foreign countries especially in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
President Danilo Concepcion will be giving a video message during the opening ceremonies along with Vice President Leni Robredo who will also give a video message. This event will feature speakers from top-ranking diplomatic corps, UN, international advocacy groups, as well as other notable individuals from the U.S. and Europe.
I hope that you would make time to attend even a short portion of this event, especially a Fellowship gathering of UP alumni at the end of each day. Your participation will be most appreciated. The link to register is also attached.
 In U.P. spirit!
Daisy Rodriguez
National President, UPAA in America, Inc.
UPAA Global Network Organizing Committee"

Prof. Alviola elected Director of PAEDA

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Announcements

2021 061621 PAEDA ALVIOLACongratulations to Prof. Dr. Pedro A. Alviola IV of the School of Management for being elected to the Board of Directors of the Philippine Agriculture and Economic Development Association (PAEDA)!
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Post from the Philippine Agriculture and Economic Development Association - PAEDA
 
We are pleased to announce the seven (7) PAEDA members who will be joining the incoming president, Dr. Arnulfo M. Mascariñas, and immediate past president, Dr. Melvin B. Carlos (ex-officio board member) in the PAEDA Board of Directors:
  • Dr. Antonio P. Abamo (VSU)
  • Dr. Moises Neil V. Seriño (VSU)
  • Dr. Pedro A. Alviola, IV (UPMin)
  • Dr. Teresita A. Narvaez (WMSU)
  • Ms. Princess Alma B. Ani (DOST-PCAARRD)
  • Dr. Maria Excelsis M. Orden (CLSU)
  • Dr. Fezoil Luz C. Decena (DOST-PCAARRD)
Congratulations to the newly elected PAEDA Board of Directors!

“Preparing for Publication: A Young Researcher’s Guide”

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Announcements

2021 062921 CARIM WEBI

The Center for the Advancement of Research in Mindanao will be hosting a webinar entitled “Preparing for Publication: A Young Researcher’s Guide” on 29 June 2021 (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM), which is aimed at junior faculty members, research assistants, undergraduates, and graduate students.

The webinar will focus on the following topics:
• Preparing the research article
• Choosing a journal for publication and identifying predatory journals
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Addressing the reviewers’ comments
This webinar is free and open to the public. You may pre-register through our Zoom link http://bit.ly/ZoomRegistrationPreparingforPublication

UP Mindanao joins DOST-PCAARRD's 10th anniversary, 22 June 2021

Written by Rene Estremera. Posted in Announcements

2021 062221 LIFE PCAARRD
 
UP Mindanao congratulates the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) on its 10th year anniversary on 22 June 2021. As part of DOST-PCAARRD’s 10th-year anniversary celebration, the Council is holding four virtual events on June 22-24, 2021. Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/events/1426349441065915. Join the celebration by clicking the Facebook events and registering. 
UP Mindanao will contribute to the event, "Celebrating LIFE (Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension)," on 22 June 2021 at 10:00 a.m. interested persons may register now: http://bit.ly/PCAARRDCelebrateLIFE
 
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A webinar on “Celebrating LIFE (Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension)
June 22, 2021 
 
10:00 a.m. Welcome Remarks – DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo Ebora
10:03 a.m. Message – DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña
10:06 a.m. Message – H.E. Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven J Robinson AO
10:09 a.m. Prof. Andrew Campbell, CEO, ACIAR
 Voice Over Narrator and Art Cards
10:12-10:18 a.m. First session: Conflict in Mindanao (context setting); Format: Video testimonial (3 mins)
10:12 a.m. Mohamad Nor - Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Societies (CBCS) 
10:15 a.m. Mambai Mahin (Maguindanao) Farmer or community leader on impacts of conflict in  livelihoods
 Second session: Agricultural extension and partnerships in conflict-vulnerable areas. Format: Video interviews, “What does agricultural extension mean to your organization?”
10:18 a.m. Ms. Miladel Capitania (Zamboanga Sibugay) – providing basic services to constituents (amaep)
10:21 a.m. UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. – mandate of universities to provide  agricultural research, development and extension  
10:24 a.m. UP Mindanao Chancellor Larry Digal – research, development, and extension with  focus on Mindanao communities, especially in conflict- vulnerable areas
10:27 a.m. Deputy Vice-Chancellor for College of Design and Social Context and RMIT Vice  President Professor Tim Marshall– partnerships for research, development and extension
 10:30 a.m. Conflict to LIFE. Format: Videos (2-3 mins each)
10:33 a.m. Dr. Mary Johnson and Anne Shangrila Fuentes (UP Mindanao Dept. of Social Sciences) – development of the LIFE Model  (three elements)
10:37 a.m. Nikki Cordero, MJ Titan and Mocs Sangki (LFPI) - implementing LIFE, building trust in  conflict-vulnerable areas
10:40 a.m. Dr. Melvin B. Carlos – Expansion of LIFE: Reaching more conflict-vulnerable  communities (PULL Program)
10:48 a.m. Launch of the LIFE Package 
Noel Vock – describes the LIFE package Format: Video showing materials under the  LIFE Package and the link to where these materials may be accessed (1-2 mins)
10:53 a.m. IX. A Hopeful LIFE. Format: Video testimonials (2-3 mins)
10:50 a.m. Aurora Rosal/Jaidy Cadag/Amsia/PULL sites (South Cotabato) - Farmer applying LIFE  learnings
10:53 a.m. Helen Anaud (South Cotabato) – adopting resolutions to implement LIFE Model
10:58 a.m. Henry Binahon-IEC and Training Officer, Landcare Foundation of the Philippines, Inc.  (LFPI)
11:07 a.m. Dr. Emma Ruth Bayogan (PULL, UP Mindanao) – institutionalizing LIFE in UP Mindanao
11:10 a.m. Closing – ACIAR Philippines Country Manager Mai Alagcan 
11:13 a.m. Close

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