On December 11, 2024, UPRI representatives IB Chief Jose Abraham Ongkiko and JPA Franklin Joshua Gali attended an event by the UPSCALE Innovation Hub titled “Community Development: A Design Thinking Session for One Health Demonstration Site in UP Diliman Campus.” Held at the hub’s main office at the National Engineering Center, this event was conducted in partnership with AgriGaia Taiwan with the goal of identifying challenges and opportunities that come with the development of innovative communities. In attendance were representatives from the UP System and UP CUs, the Quezon City Local Government, and other private and government organizations.
Image 1: Opening message from visiting Prof. Eing Ming Wu
The event formally began with a welcome message from Dr. Gisela P. Concepcion, UP Diliman Professor Emeritus, who highlighted the various projects of AgriGaia Taiwan in the development of Greenhouses in collaboration with Gawad Kalinga and Quezon City LGUs. This was then followed by an opening message from Prof. Eing Ming Wu, visiting professor to the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance. Aligned with his goal of furthering the relationship between the Philippines and Taiwan, Prof. Wu discussed his goals of assisting in the increase of PhDs and furthering industrialization in the Philippines.
Image 2: UPRI IB Chief Jose Abraham Ongkiko and AgriGaia Taiwan COO Vanessa Ying Lin present initiatives of their corresponding organizations
After these initial introductions, an overview of the program was provided by Dr. Luis G. Sison, Director of the UP Technology Transfer and Business Development Office. Detailing the UP System’s Community-Building Objectives, Dr. Sison shared the models and design principles that guide various systemwide core innovation programs. Following this, IB Chief Jose Abraham Ongkiko shared with the group UPRI’s initiative, the SDG Urban Farm and Wellness Park. In collaboration with the Quezon City government, Province of Tarlac, UP Los Baños, and AgriGaia Taiwan, this project aims to showcase the sustainable initiatives and specialties of each partner. IB Chief Ongkiko detailed the objectives, plans, and expected outputs of this area which contribute to the overall vision of creating a hub dedicated to sustainable agriculture, recreation, and well-being.
Providing an introduction to AgriGaia Taiwan, COO Ms. Vanessa Ying Lin would share her organization’s aim of empowered resilience and sustainability. Highlighting the similarities in the hazard experiences of the Philippines and Taiwan, Ms. Lin showcased the various collaborative potential in the development of bionic subsurface irrigation systems, climate smart solutions, and a One Health framework. A succeeding presentation by Dr. Chiachung Cheng of the National Chung Hsing University would also emphasize the need to develop appropriate technology with a focus on efficiency, the economy, and the environment. Dr. Cheng echoed Ms. Lin’s sentiments as he identified opportunities in cash crops, technology, and greenhouse production in the Philippines. After further expressing the desire Taiwanese institutions have in partnering with the Philippines, the event proceeded to the workshop.
Image 3: A group sharing their outputs for the workshop activity of sharing ideas for innovative communities
The audience was divided into groups to discuss the potential problems that may arise from the development of sustainable initiatives such as the aforementioned greenhouse. Afterwards, all challenges identified by the different groups were categorized together. All participants were then tasked to select the challenges they believed were of priority with the final five being selected. With these top challenges, the groups were then tasked with identifying the specific elements that would need to be tackled for each.
A summary of the possible difficulties that the project may face was identified. Specific problems in terms of the business model, participant screening, adoption of foreign technology, community engagement, and carbon impact were pinned down. Using these identified problems, the UPSCALE Innovation Hub committed to finding methodologies to overcome these challenges as one of their goals for the year 2025. Furthermore, all representatives present looked forward to the realization of the proposed Urban Park and Wellness Center along with the possibility of other collaborations of sustainable practices.
Prepared by:
Franklin Joshua G. Gali
Junior Project Assistant