Two coastal barangays in Guimaras granted STARBOOKS units

In line with the implementation of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Community Empowerment thru Science and Technology (CEST) program in Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (TINMR), two Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly-Operated Kiosk Stations (STARBOOKS) units were installed in the local government units of Barangay La Paz and San Roque.

A STARBOOKS orientation was also conducted to barangay officials and staff to present the technology’s contents, features, and its proper utilization.  STARBOOKS contains hundreds of thousands of digitized science and technology resources in various formats set in a user-friendly interface.  It is a stand-alone information source designed to reach those with limited or no access to S&T information.

The implementation of the project as a whole is spearheaded by the Local Government Unit of Brgy. La Paz in Nueva Valencia with LGU San Roque as its co-implementing agency. The orientation and deployment of STARBOOKS was done under the Human Resource Development component of the CEST program which aims to make science and technology (S&T) information more accessible to students and potentially stimulate their interest in pursuing S&T careers.

During the orientation, Hon. Nora T. Gamuyao, barangay captain of LGU San Roque, thanked the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for their technical assistance to the two barangays and that the units provided can greatly benefit students in both elementary and high school.

Moreover, Hon. Veronica B. Ortiz, barangay captain of LGU La Paz, also delivered an appreciation message stating, “may the orientation on the use of STARBOOKS not just merely be an orientation but may the students and even the staff from the two barangays maximize the use of the technology.” (KJRGagajena/DOST VI-KMU)