UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) President Angelo Jimenez led the groundbreaking ceremony of the P8 million Mussel Glycogen Production Facility at the new UP Tacloban campus in Barangay Sta. Elena, Tacloban City on Thursday, May 23, 2024.
“The plant, which will be the first in the Philippines, will develop methods for producing glycogen on a scale that can be commercialized and used by large industries,” said Jimenez, who was in the city as guest speaker for the 51st anniversary of UP Tacloban College (UPTC).
“We know that the economy of Eastern Visayas is largely affected by green mussel or tahong production. We know that the red tide affects the conditions of our fishermen and, therefore, the economy of the region. This plant finds solutions to the problem in the community,” he added.
The Mussel Glycogen Production Plant is mainly financed by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), the government-run news agency reported.
“This provides the tahong with a crucial added value as a non-food product. It will address the economic losses of mussel farmers whose harvest has been regularly devastated by the poisonous plankton species that cause red tide,” Jimenez said during the ceremony, which served as the kickoff for the UPTC anniversary.
During his visit, Jimenez also presented UP’s Strategic Plan for 2023-2029 and the plan for the elevation of UP Tacloban from a college to a constituent university of the UP System “to better serve the needs of the people of Eastern Visayas.
“We are here to underscore the national university’s commitment for further growth and development in UP Tacloban,” Jimenez said during the press conference at the Leyte Samar Heritage Center in UP Tacloban College.
Speaking alongside UPTC dean Dr. Patricia Arinto, Jimenez also unveiled to the public UPTC’s vision and accomplishments after the campus became an autonomous unit in 2023.
The roadmap of the college towards becoming the ninth constituent university of the UP System includes the “expansion of academic, research, and public service programs; empowerment of local communities through partnerships with Eastern Visayas cities and municipalities; and intensified efforts to further contribute to cultural preservation and enrichment, and sustainable development in the region.”
“In harmony with the UP System’s thrust to make University admissions more inclusive, UPTC aims to increase its student population by reaching out to potential applicants from underrepresented sectors, and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” UPTC said in its press statement on Thursday. (Ronald O. Reyes/SunStar Philippines)