Ilonggo heads world-class research center
An Ilonggo from Oton, Iloilo gets the nod from President Gloria Arroyo to continue leading the world-class research center in aquaculture that has main offices in Tigbauan, Iloilo. Dr. Joebert D. Toledo is Chief of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) – Aquaculture Department (AQD) for a second two-year term, April 2008 until April 2010.
This was recently announced in Bali, Indonesia where the SEAFDEC Council, the highest policy-making body of the Center, accepted and approved President Arroyo's endorsement of Dr. Toledo.
Dr. Toledo, 47 years old, is married to Nieves Aquino-Toledo, a faculty member of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences of the University of the Philippines Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo. They have four children.
Dr. Toledo graduated from Oton National High School, obtained his B.S. in Fisheries degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, and both his Masters in Science in Aquaculture and Doctorate in Agriculture in Applied Biological Science from the University of Hiroshima, Japan. He was previously seconded as Marine Fish Seed Production Expert to the Department of Fisheries of Brunei Darussalam.z
Dr. JD Toledo's first term
April 2006 was the first time AQD got a Chief who rose from the ranks. Dr. Toledo was first employed as research assistant in 1981 and became Scientist II in 2002. His status as a Department insider for 23 years made it easy for him to define and implement a vision of a streamlined organization capable of addressing the needs of the aquaculture industry for science-based technologies.
Dr. Toledo's first act was to bring back 22 researchers and other senior staff who mass-resigned in the middle of 2004. To carry out AQD's programs, his management team first reviewed the technologies developed by AQD then identified gaps for further research and verification, and made plans for technology transfer.
Efforts in fund sourcing have also been done to improve AQD's overall financial standing, which includes continuing collaboration with research partners. AQD was successful in tapping provincial and local government units to fund an Institutional Capacity Development for Sustainable Aquaculture (ICD-SA) project. ICD-SA aims to build the capacities of aquatic resource users by providing them knowledge and skills to become responsible resources managers and users. Arrangements were made with various stakeholder groups (i.e., government agencies, LGUs, international organizations, private companies, private foundations) to make this dream project a reality. Now on-board are the provinces of Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Northern Samar, and Misamis Occidental while talks are ongoing with the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Aurora, and Mindoro Occidental.
AQD institutionalized its technology transfer mechanism for the private sector while continuing to demonstrate technologies for people's cooperatives and local governments. The private sector was offered the Agree-build-operate-transfer aquaculture business packages (ABOT AquaNegosyo), with abalone, mudcrab, grouper, milkfish, seabass, native catfish, bighead carp, tilapia, freshwater prawn, and seaweeds as priority commodities.
AQD signed 17 new formal agreements with various partners for the implementation of its projects. Also notable is that for the first time, the mariculture park at the Igang Marine Station was opened up for the use of the private sector and a people's cooperative.
Also in 2007, around 80 research studies and technology generation projects were approved, some with external funding provided by the Government of Japan Trust Fund, ASEAN, Kagoshima University and Fisheries Research Agency in Japan, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, UP Visayas, DOST, and various private companies.
SEAFDEC is a regional treaty organization established in 1967 to promote fisheries development in Southeast Asia. Its member-countries are ASEAN + Japan. For more information, visit www.seafdec.org.ph