The Department of Science and Technology Regional Office I (DOST-I), through its Provincial Science and Technology Center in Pangasinan (PSTC – Pangasinan) awarded a Bamboo Splitter Machine to the ‘kaing’ (Bamboo Basket) makers of Barangay Pasima, Malasiqui, Pangasinan last 30 March 2022, as part of the implementation of the Innovation, Science and Technology for Accelerating Regional Technology-Based Development (iSTART) Program.

The iSTART program intends to support and sustain the gains of Pangasinan on the different fronts of enterprise development through science, technology, and innovation.

The ‘kaing’ industry is one of the promising development fronts in the municipality of Malasiqui and the Bamboo Splitter Machine is one of the identified appropriate S&T interventions that can help improve the bamboo splitting process of ‘kaing’ production and make it more effective and cost efficient.

Traditionally, the ‘kaing’ makers use the jungle bolo and a mallet to break the bamboo. Aside from requiring a significant amount of production time and resulting in unequal split sizes, the splitting procedure utilizing a sharp bolo driven by a mallet creates a risk of accidental cuts on employees. With this upgrade, bamboo can be split in seconds in uniformed proportions and it reduces the incidence of accidents.

DOST PSTC-Pangasinan staff Sheryl Ann E. Balmadres and Edward Ugale turned over the equipment to Pasima Brgy. Captain Gregorio A. Valdez, Jr., together with the ‘kaing’ makers who are the primary beneficiaries of the technology.

The iSTART Program recognizes the important role of science, technology, and innovation in empowering industries, particularly the MSMEs to improve the quality of their products and to remain competitive. For its part, DOST-I will continue to implement programs, such as iSTART, to further improve the quality of life of every Filipino people.