The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) is moving into a non-traditional, problem-oriented and focused Research for Development (R4D) that has more relevance to stakeholders in the carabao industry.

In the context of this new paradigm, PCC showcased its research efforts in this year’s R4D in-house review held at the PCC national headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on June 16-17.

Focusing on the thematic areas on biosafety, genetic improvement-animal genomics, product development, production management system, genetic improvement-reproductive and cryopreservation techniques, and social and policy researches relevant to the carabao industry, the two-day activity presented five completed researches, 17 on-going studies and two special presentations.

The research papers were first presented in the R4D pre-in-house review conducted by PCC in February to screen on-going and completed researches prior to presentation in the in-house review.

The in-house review is an annual activity that demonstrates and recognizes the PCC’s research initiatives. It likewise helps create opportunities for researchers and scientists to present their noteworthy accomplishments, and to interact and share learnings with one another.

Further, the in-house review is a monitoring and evaluation tool for PCC to ensure that its efforts on research for development are aligned with its R4D Agenda, according to Dr. Eric Palacpac, national R4D coordinator.

“It serves as a venue for sharing research results with the scientific community and as a motivating tool for researchers to strengthen their interest in conducting pertinent researches in line with the PCC’s mandate,” he stated.

The event was capped with a recognition program for the best paper and best presenter as its way of recognizing researchers who excel in their respective disciplines.

Dr. Jezie A. Acorda, professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of the Philippines – Los Baños (CVM-UPLB) chaired the panel of external evaluators that included Dr. Rosalina Lapitan, Scientist I and a retired PCC employee, and Peter James Icalia, instructor at the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU).

“There are things that can be addressed by research with practical application that will contribute directly to solving our problems. Our continuing efforts, extension services and other activities are all focused on increasing farmers’ income. How will the farmers benefit from all these? That is the bottom line; our R4D will help us lead to that increasing income. PCC, however, is consistent in delivering relevant researches on different field of disciplines and consistent also in delivering its targets to the government,” Dr. Arnel N. Del Barrio, PCC acting executive director, said in his remarks during the review.

“We want to bundle all researches addressing industry problems like, for example, researches related to increasing milk yield among buffaloes, reducing mortality rate, increasing fertility, calf drop and the like,” he added.

At the end of the two-day review, awards were given to the researchers who excelled in their research activities.

Adjudged best paper in the completed research category was the study titled, “The Kinetics of Sperm Penetration and Embryo Development as Predictors of Fertility of Frozen Buffalo Semen” conducted by Excel Rio Maylem, PCC science research specialist II.

The student thesis titled, “Biological Control Efficacy of the Nematophagous Fungi Duddingtonia flagrans in Common Strongyle Roundworms and Fasciola sp. of Swamp Buffaloes” conducted by Toni Rose M. Barroga with Dr. Claro N. Mingala, Scientist II as host researcher was given the best paper and best presenter awards.

The special presentations were on two studies titled “Raw milk physico-chemical characteristics of moringa leaf meal (MoLM) fed to crossbred water buffaloes” conducted by Dr. Norberto Tadeo, a professor at the Isabela State University, and  “Correlation of infrared tympanic and rectal body temperatures in lactating Bulgarian murrah buffaloes in the Philippines”, conducted by Dr. Adrian Ybañez, dean of the School of Health and Sciences and associate professor at the Cebu-based Southwestern University (SWU).

Some 80 participants joined the in-house review. These included scientists and researchers from the PCC national and regional centers as well as students and research faculty from the state universities.