From mountains to rivers: How DOST goes beyond laboratories to help communities across PH

In a country made up of more than 7,000 islands and communities separated by mountains, seas, and difficult terrain, bringing science and technology to the people can sometimes mean going where the roads end.

For some communities, it means bringing a water system up a mountain. For students, it means making learning resources available even when internet connectivity is out of reach. For farmers, it means introducing better ways to grow mussels and oysters.

For communities living on landslide-prone slopes, it means using scientific instruments and community-based monitoring to recognize warning signs before disaster strikes. In areas once affected by conflict, science and technology can also open up opportunities to rebuild livelihoods.

These stories take center stage as “Siyensikat: Pinoy Popular Science para sa Lahat” returns to GTV for its ninth season, airing September 19 and every Saturday from 9:00 to 9:30AM. Hosted by Jiego Reyes, with DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. as co-host, the program brings viewers closer to the people, communities, and science behind DOST programs and innovations.

Produced by DOSTv: Science for the People, the program highlights the reach of the Department of Science and Technology’s Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) Program, which brings science-based interventions to geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities, Indigenous Peoples, marginalized sectors, and communities affected by conflict.

Where water has to travel uphill

In one of its episodes, the mountainous community of Godod, Zamboanga del Norte takes on the challenge where most people take for granted: water.

For Subanen Indigenous Peoples living in Sitio Makinaryas in Barangay Bunawan, accessing a reliable water source is made more difficult by their remote location. Through CEST, DOST-Zamboanga Peninsula supported a gravity-type water system for the community, demonstrating how appropriate technology can address basic needs even where geography makes access to services difficult.

The system uses the natural elevation of the terrain to move water from a higher source toward lower areas where it can be collected and distributed. A simple principle of physics turned into a practical solution for a remote community.

When going to school means crossing nine rivers

The challenge of distance is also experienced by students in remote communities in Tanay, Rizal, where some learners have to cross nine rivers on foot just to reach school.

With internet connectivity remaining a challenge, DOST-CALABARZON brought STARBOOKS to the communities. A digital and offline library containing science and technology learning resources, STARBOOKS gives students access to educational materials even without a continuous internet connection.

For learners in geographically isolated communities, the technology provides another gateway to knowledge despite the barriers of distance and connectivity.

From the mountains to the sea

In Panay, Capiz, Siyensikat dives into another community challenge: making the waters that provide food and income more productive for the people who depend on them.

Local farmers are being introduced to improved ways of cultivating mussels and oysters, opening opportunities to increase production and improve their earnings. The story shows how science and technology can help transform local resources into more sustainable livelihoods.

The same is true for the Saru Seaweeds Farmers Association in Barangay Licomo, Zamboanga City, where seaweed farming provides an important source of livelihood for coastal families. Through DOST assistance, the association received kitchen equipment that enabled its members to process seaweed and develop value-added products, rather than relying solely on selling raw seaweed.

Science as a second chance

In General Santos City, science and technology take on a different role.

Inside a male dormitory for Persons Deprived of Liberty, Siyensikat explores livelihood opportunities designed to equip PDLs with skills and productive activities that can support rehabilitation and reintegration.

The reach of DOST also extends to former MILF camps and communities of former combatants in Mindanao, where science and technology interventions are helping provide livelihood and development opportunities as communities transition toward peace and sustainable development.

When the ground moves

One of the season’s major stories revisits the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck offshore of Sarangani on June 8. Siyensikat will take viewers beneath the surface to explain what happened during the powerful earthquake, how scientists from DOST-PHIVOLCS’ Quick Response Teams monitored the event and its aftershocks, and what it reveals about earthquake hazards and preparedness.

In Iloilo, the program highlights another approach to disaster preparedness through a community-based early warning system developed in partnership with the DOST-PHIVOLCS Dynaslope Project.

The system combines scientific monitoring, data analysis, and community participation to detect changes that may signal increasing landslide risk. Residents are trained to understand the hazard, participate in monitoring, receive warnings, and act when necessary.

Because community actions combined with early warning technologies, save lives.

Science that travels

From the mountains of Zamboanga del Norte to the students of Tanay, from the coastal waters of Capiz to former conflict-affected communities in Mindanao and landslide-prone areas of Iloilo, the stories featured in the new season share one message: science becomes beneficial when it reaches those who needs it.

More than simply introducing technology, it means understanding community needs and working with people to develop solutions suited to their realities.

Together, these stories show how far science can travel when its destination is designed around the people it serves.

Science is no longer confined inside laboratories. It can now climb mountains, cross rivers and islands, and reach far-flung classrooms, farms, coastlines, former conflict areas, and disaster-prone communities.

Wherever Filipinos need solutions, science can go. This is Agham na Ramdam, science that reaches and responds to the people’s needs.

Catch the new season of Siyensikat starting September 19, 2026 airing at 9:00 AM on GTV, GMA Super Radyo DZBB, and DOSTv’s social media platforms.

Catch all episodes as they are streamed across DOSTv’s Facebook page, YouTube channel, and official website.

The DOSTv is one of the services of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All. For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph. (By Christian Caraggayan, DOST-STII)