Barangay 412, Zone 42 in Legarda, Manila, was chosen as the  2021 Best CEST Community.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) conferred the award to Barangay 412 on November 27 as part of the celebration of the National Science and Technology Week, Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said in his weekly DOST Report.

The barangay is one of the communities assisted by DOST-National Capital Region (NCR) under the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) Program.

Situated along the Estero de San Miguel, Barangay 412 Zone 42 was once a target for force eviction and relocation due to their hazardous living conditions.

In 2017, the DOST-NCR entered the community through the CEST Program, and provided support based on results of a series of focus group discussions.

Among the assistance provided to the community is the improvement of the residents’ sewing livelihood, dubbed as “Sastrepreneurship Program.

Besides its flourishing sewing livelihood, which gave them an an income amounting to P327,000 from June 2019 to March 2021, the community was also a recipient of the Gulayan sa Pamayanan (GSP) Program, providing 720 pieces of “super paso” to 60 families and to the barangay’s communal garden, de la Peña said.

At the same time, the barangay established its Material Recovery Facility after they were provided with technologies on waste management, such as dual drum composter and plastic shredder.

The barangay is also active in engaging with Claro M. Recto High School for their initiatives in community development.

The school was provided with support activities for human resource development, such as Invent School, Wanderlab, and Hands-on Minds-on Microscale Chemistry Workshop.

As a result, three students from the school passed as DOST scholars, de la Peña proudly said.

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