MARAWI CITY – Following the grand launching of two Shared Service Facilities (SSF) Project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Marawi City, to wit, the fabrication and plant tissue culture laboratory, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the city and Lanao del Sur are expected to benefit the bolstered livelihood and agribusiness.
“This program is aimed to provide Micro, Small and Medium entrepreneurs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, most specifically here in province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City to ensure that its innovation center can help increase the productivity and lessen the cost of prototyping, research and development of local products,” said Fab Lab Marawi Manager Engr. Acsara Gumal.
Gumal also added that the services provided by the SSFs are foreseen to be extended to students and faculty members of the university for their quest for research and development.
The Fab Lab encompassing the small milling machine, laser cutter, wood lathe machine, print and cut machine, sewing and embroidery machine, and 3D printers is seen to serve as the center for Maranao arts preservation and innovation under the Bangon Marawi rehabilitation Program.
In addition, this will befit the need for a technology access center for research and development for fabrication demands in the area.
Meanwhile, Dr. Juliet Bangi, the OIC for the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, shared that the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory intends to provide disease-free planting materials at a minimal cost paving way for mass crop production amid the high call to support local farmers.
“Because of our way, we are going to respond to the manpower skills development of local constituents, especially here in Lanao del Sur and definitely for economic development,” Bangi stated.
Further, DTI Region 10 Regional Director Linda Boniao cited how these top-of-the-line equipment can provide opportunity and empower students and community making it imperative to be extended to MSMEs.
“The Fab Lab and Plant Tissue Laboratory is not just for MSU-Marawi but also for its neighboring municipalities, especially those affected by the Marawi siege… It is futuristic. It cannot stand alone. It has to go outside the boundary of this university, and so it has to be inclusive with MSMEs,” Boniao cited.
Currently, the launched laboratories are operated by the MSU-Marawi catering students and MSMEs in the city and Lanao del Sur and advocating preservation of Maranao heritage products and mass crop production especially abaca. (CRG/ PIA-ICIC)
