PNRI 2011 Annual Report

The year 2011 was another defining year for the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), particularly for the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). At the first quarter, we had to act swiftly and decisively to respond appropriately to the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. Though the incident was thousands of miles away, the global community was shaken, including our own front yard. The DOST, through the PNRI, was the sole authority that could assuage our people's fears. Our nuclear experts, in close coordination with international bodies and the member-agencies of the National Radiological Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, studied every aspect of the accident and its possible impact on the Philippines. Our findings were immediately relayed to the media and the public through daily bulletins, news releases, and press conferences. We fielded our researchers to check radioactivity in the air around Metro Manila, in addition to generating data from our monitoring station in Tanay, Rizal. The PNRI's timely, objective, and accurate response to the Fukushima accident ultimately resulted to a public more informed and more confident in the current administration. Though events in the first half of 2011 significantly affected the public's perception of nuclear energy, the Institute's relevance and importance to the Philippine society in the realm of nuclear technology could not be overemphasized. PNRI's services and R & D projects, as detailed in this report, contribute significantly to health and nutrition, environmental resource management, agriculture and industrial productivity, human resource development, and peaceful applications of nuclear energy. As our commitment to developing local technologies that work and contribute to the over-all development of the Philippine society, DOST-PNRI, anchoring on its 2011 performance, is set to embark on more high impact projects in the future. Through DOST-PNRI, we will continue to develop and expand nuclear technologies by Filipinos for Filipinos.