3rd Leg of Saliklakbay takes place in the heart of the Philippine Archipelago

Photo by: Mark Angelo Ultimo

Gasan, Marinduque – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Provincial office hosted the continuing Saliklakbay Solutions mapping in the region between February 26 to 28 in the geodetic center of the country. Shedding light on grassroots and community-based innovation to everyday life such as kalutang instrument-making, culinary traditions of saludsod and ulang-ulang along with the heritage practice of moryon mask-carving.

The said activity is based on the Grassroots Innovation for Inclusive Development (GRIND) program which the primary tool is Saliklakbay. According to DOST Mimaropa, Saliklakbay is based on rapid immersion or rapid ethnography, an ethnographic research methodology designed to identify and map grassroots innovations. In addition, Saliklakbay aims to uncover local needs, issues and opportunities that are often unrecognized or overlooked. Participants included representatives from the academe, media, industry, government and the Grassroots Innovation Technical Evaluation Committee (GITEC) who collaborated to identify and document local innovations in Mimaropa and elsewhere.

“Ang programang ito ng DOST na Saliksikin-Lakbayin ay nanglalayong alamin at tulungan ang MSMEs o Micro Small and Medium Enterprise, kabilang ang mga marginalized communities sa lalawigan,” local media practitioner, Adrian Rosales said. Likewise, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Marinduque president NInay Festin also had valuable insights about possible innovation on Kalutang and Moryonan with the help of local government and local industry.

As part of its ongoing effort to foster grassroots innovation and sustainable solutions, DOST-MIMAROPA brought the SalikLakbay Solutions Mapping and Immersion Program to Marinduque on February 26, 2025, under the Grassroots Innovation for Inclusive Development (GRIND) Program. This follows the program’s successful engagements last year in Occidental and Oriental Mindoro and Palawan.

The event, initiated by DOST-MIMAROPA through its Provincial S&T Office in Marinduque, was attended by 35 participants from various communities in Gasan and Mogpog, along with representatives from the Pentahelix Initiative including academia, media, industry, government, civil society organizations (CSOs), DOST 11 representatives, and the Grassroots Innovation Technical Evaluation Committee (GITEC) who joined to identify and document five grassroots innovations emerging in the province. Mark Angelo Ultimo