VSU hosts new DOST-FPRDI regional forests products innovation hub in Eastern Visayas

The Visayas State University (VSU) and the Department of Science and Technology–Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) officially opened the Regional Forest Products Innovation and Training Center on September 5, 2025, at the VSU Main Campus in Baybay City, Leyte. 

Situated within the university grounds, the center brings advanced bamboo and wood processing facilities to Eastern Visayas, making VSU one of only three universities in the country to host such an innovation hub. 

The launch was held as part of the Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Week, taking advantage of the presence of DOST-FPRDI and other top officials of DOST in Tacloban.

The newly inaugurated center is equipped with nearly Php 10 million worth of state-of-the-art machines funded by DOST-FPRDI. These include CNC milling and lathe machines, a hot press machine, laser engraver, 3D printer, router, furnace kiln dryer, and specialized bamboo processing tools. 

With these technologies, the center can support the development of high-value forest-based products and will pave the way for industry partnerships, enterprise development, and training opportunities for students and local communities.

VSU has also institutionalized the facility through the creation of the Forest Products Innovation and Training Center (FPITC). This step gives the center the capacity to acquire manpower, assign plantilla positions, and apply for external funding in support of research, extension, and innovation projects. 

Planning for the Regional Forest Products Innovation Centers started as early as 2016, but it was only in 2024 that the initiative secured funding through the General Appropriations Act. Since then, DOST-FPRDI in partnership with VSU and support of DOST Regional Office VIII has pushed the construction and preparation of the facility, completing several phases of development, equipment delivery, and training activities. 

Among the milestones achieved were the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between DOST–FPRDI and VSU in Tacloban in September 2024, the completion of the building, the full construction of a spray booth, and furnace kiln dryer. 

Modern machines were also delivered in full, and capacity-building sessions on laser engraving and 3D printing were conducted for selected VSU offices and students. By July 2025, VSU also signed a memorandum of agreement with the Eastern Visayas Bamboo Advocacy Cooperative, while in August 2025, Dr. Dennis P. Peque was officially designated as Director of FPITC.

Present during the event was Dr. Rico J. Cabangon, Director of DOST-FPRDI, who had earlier served as Project Leader when discussions first began under the leadership of then-FPRDI Director Romulo T. Aggangan. Alongside him was Engr. Edward Paul S. Marasigan, the current DOST-FPRDI Project Leader for the establishment of Regional Forest Products Innovation and Training Centers in the Philippines. 

Also in attendance was Dr. John Glenn D. Ocaña, Regional Director of DOST VIII, and Mr. Mhardy C. Montejo, Director of the DOST Leyte Provincial Science and Technology Office, both of whom pledged continued support to the initiative. 

Representing FPITC’s industry partnership was Mr. George C. Misa, Chairman of the Eastern Visayas Bamboo Advocacy Cooperative, with whom VSU recently signed a memorandum of agreement. Baybay City Councilor and VSU former president Dr. Jose L. Bacusmo also joined the program, bringing his long-standing interest in bamboo and his potential role in linking the center to the City Government of Baybay under Mayor Jose Carlos L. Cari.

VSU officials and faculty members likewise graced the event, including the Vice President for Administration and Finance Dr. Moises Neil V. Seriño, Vice President for Planning and Development Dr. Glenn G. Pajares, Research Director Dr. Ivy C. Emnace, Extension Director Dr. Catherine C. Arradaza, the Dean of the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Science Dr. Renezita S. Come, and the Head of the Department of Forest Science Dr. Angel P. Baldos.

With the complete set of equipment, the center can now explore advanced applications of bamboo and wood, producing innovative designs and prototypes that can be scaled into commercial use.

Dr. Peque thanked DOST-FPRDI for their support and for entrusting VSU with this important facility.

“This center represents a major step forward not only for our university but also for the entire region. With these modern machines and technologies, we now have the capacity to develop new products, provide training to our students and local communities, and open doors for industry partnerships that will benefit Eastern Visayas,” he added. 

With the DOST-FPRDI-VSU Regional Forest Products Innovation Center now in place, Eastern Visayas gains a facility that connects science, industry, and education. The center is expected to contribute to product innovation, research breakthroughs, and new market opportunities in the forest products sector, while also supporting VSU’s role as a leading hub for science and technology in the region.

This article is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and production; SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals.

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