In February 2024, the UP Diliman College of Science Institute of Biology (UPD – CS IB) housed the “Making the Invisible Visible” pop-up exhibition of the citizen science project, Bird Window Strike Philippines. 

Featuring the feathered remains of unlucky birds that had collided into windows, the displays served as poignant and striking visuals for this strange, but common phenomenon. Infographics and posters provided possible solutions and detailed accounts of incidents from up to 290 citizen reports from all around the Philippines.

Bird Window Strike PH first started as a research initiative and passion project under Janina Castro of the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability, the school’s hub for sustainable development, and Jelaine Gan of The UP Wild, an online educational community raising awareness on UP Diliman’s wildlife and green spaces. 

The two had long been avid bird watchers—or “birders”—when the idea formed after Janina rescued a Coppersmith Barbet that had struck a window in the Ateneo de Manila University. She realized that little to no research was being done on bird collisions with windows despite their somewhat common occurrence. Teaming up with Jelaine, the two discussed how they could bring more attention to this issue and what could be done to prevent further collisions.

Under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) project, “Post-Wastewater Treatment Determination of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds for Interventions,” researchers of the UP Diliman College of Science Institute of Chemistry (UPD-CS IC) studied the rivers of Mega Manila and demonstrated the presence of EDCs, or endocrine-disrupting compounds.

EDCs are mixes of chemicals that can mimic hormones and thus adversely affect hormone regulation in the human body. Long-term exposure to these compounds can lead to a number of endocrine-related health issues, such as respiratory and neurodevelopmental problems, infertility, diabetes, obesity, and even prostate or breast cancer. Because of this, EDCs are considered water contaminants of emerging concern (CEC). 

The study of Dr. Maria Pythias Espino and research assistants Kate Galera, and Katrina Sta. Ana is the first to report on the occurrence and concentrations of EDCs in the Marikina, Pasig, Angat, and Pampanga rivers. This provided useful baseline data for DOST’s ongoing research program on “Removal of Excess Nitrogen and Endocrine Disruptors from Wastewater” (RENEW).

“In the Philippines, it is important to know the presence and concentrations of EDCs in aquatic systems because many Filipinos depend on aquaculture and fishing for livelihood and subsistence,” said the researchers in their paper.

E1, or estrone, is a hormone that can induce endocrine-disrupting effects even at low concentrations of long-term exposure, such as fertility issues in aquatic organisms. It had been the only hormone detected to date in this study of the rivers, and its presence was attributed to municipal wastewater since this type of hormone can come from human and animal waste.

Industrial chemicals bisphenol A, nonylphenol, and octylphenol were also detected in the rivers. The researchers surmised that this was due to their extensive use in manufacturing various products such as detergents, textiles, plastics, and many more, but clarified that the concentrations are still below international guideline values.

The US, Canada, and the EU have guidelines for some EDCs in their environmental waters. The Philippines, however, does not have guideline values yet for the regulation of these compounds, nor the wastewater treatment facilities that would ensure the mitigation of CECs. The research team hopes these findings will hasten the formulation of national guidelines for the monitoring and control of these contaminants.

“Even in nanogram per liter to microgram per liter concentrations, these contaminants of emerging concern may have harmful effects on aquatic organisms and humans. The findings are critical evidence of contamination because there are no regulatory guidelines yet on these contaminants in the waterways and water systems,” the researchers explained, pointing out how the risks of EDCs lie particularly in their bioaccumulation and persistence.

“More cleanup efforts, effective regulations in wastewater treatment, and sustainable water resource management policies are needed to improve the water quality of the rivers in Mega Manila,” they advised. The Marikina and Pasig rivers, along with the Angat and Pampanga rivers, all drain into Manila Bay, affecting one of the country’s major socioeconomically important bodies of water.

Water samples from the four rivers were processed by solid-phase extraction and analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, a method of separating and identifying compounds in ultra-trace concentrations. 

For interview requests and other concerns, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph. 

References:

Endocrine disruptors. (n.d.). National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine

Sta. Ana, K. M., Galera, K. C., & Espino, M. P. (2023) Contamination of bisphenol A, nonylphenol, octylphenol, and estrone in major rivers of Mega Manila, Philippines. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5778

College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists.

Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.”

This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate hearing to discuss the proposed revision of the procurement law at the House of Representatives on February 21, 2024.

Aside from Dean Tapang and Dr. Rodriguez, among those present were CS Associate Dean Dr. Eizadora Yu, CS Associate Dean Dr. Deo Florence Onda, National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) Dean Dr. Kristoffer Berse, NCPAG Assistant Professor Herisadel Flores, and NCPAG Atty. Lawrence Villanueva.

The procurement law, enacted in 2003, is a set of rules and regulations for using government funds to acquire goods and services. Although meant to deter corruption and promote transparency, the law introduces numerous problems for researchers and scientists.

Among the problems is that products become exorbitantly priced which hinders research progress. Dean Berse said that when a product cannot be locally produced, foreign-sourced products can be bought through local suppliers. But this method increases and even doubles the products’ prices. “In the event that no local suppliers are interested,” he added, “this will result in the loss of access to the target equipment.”

When researchers fail to procure the necessary equipment, they cannot meet project objectives and need to realign budgets. This will “ultimately delay the dissemination of knowledge and information and in providing solutions to our country’s pressing problems,” Dean Berse said.

Moreover, the procurement law impacts the retention of local scientists. “Once frustrated, they leave [the country] for greener pastures,” Dean Tapang said.

The amended procurement law aims to solve these problems. The revised law, for example, would allow for direct sales and direct acquisition of products in certain circumstances, bypassing the slow bidding process. Under the new law, the sole supplier of resin needed for Dr. Rodriguez’s research would not need to undergo bidding.

UPD professors fully support the amendments to the procurement law. They also proposed further improvements and recommendations, such as on how to counteract “abnormally low bids” or bids that offer equipment and services at suspiciously low prices.

One of the authors of the revised law, Senator Sonny Angara,  stated that the law is already in its finalization stage and is expected to be finalized in the next two weeks.

For interview requests and other concerns, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph.

Their findings, published in the Journal of Medical Virology, showcased that the most crucial element affecting the size of an outbreak and its potential duration is the behavior of the primary case—that is, the infected person carrying disease into a community, and whether or not they report their status for medical attention. 

The study followed as a result of a sudden monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries in May of 2022. Although the majority of the infected had had no history of travelling to the endemic areas of central and western Africa, the disease continued to spread, and more and more cases were still being reported worldwide.

In South Korea, however, the first case of an individual diagnosed with monkeypox had immediately self-reported in June 2022. After travelling to Europe and returning in the same month, the primary case informed the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) of his symptoms and contact history. Subsequently, there were no other recorded secondary infections of monkeypox within the country.

To study this scenario and the other factors affecting the potential outbreak of monkeypox in a non-endemic country, the team used a mathematical model based on Gillespie’s stochastic chemical kinetics. 

Stochastic models are quantitative techniques that take into account random variables when predicting possible outcomes. While these have commonly been used to analyze the effects of other infectious diseases, this marked the first time that a stochastic model was used to simulate the spread of monkeypox in a non-endemic country.

In this manner, their algorithm considered random fluctuations in human behavior and subsequent delayed contact tracing. They then set up eight scenarios for their study, running 100,000 simulations in each to better understand the significance and impact of the primary case’s self-reporting or lack thereof.

Through these simulated outbreaks, they projected the average numbers of infected individuals depending on whether the primary case self-reported or not. In the scenario wherein the primary case self-reported, the number of infected individuals only increased by 11%.

But in the scenario wherein the primary case did not self-report, thereby further delaying contact tracing, the number of infected individuals increased by up to 40%.

The large difference in results served as both clear evidence and cautionary tales of the dangers of unreported cases. By understanding the impact of the primary case’s and infectees’ behavior, the study provides a more intuitive analysis that healthcare authorities may use as guiding information in the management and detection of possible monkeypox outbreaks in the future.

However, the researchers believed that one of the many factors dissuading people from seeking medical help—therefore greatly affecting attempts to mitigate disease—was stigma.

“The social media coverage about monkeypox spread directly or indirectly generates racist and homophobic stereotypes that worsen stigma,” they explained in their paper. They emphasized that approaches to encouraging self-reporting should be based on rights and evidence to avoid situations of hidden infected cases.

“(…) healthcare authorities must ensure confidentiality of confirmed cases and individuals under investigation, and access to health services. Moreover, prompt case finding and information campaigns must be conducted,” they urged.

​​The World Health Organization (WHO) now intends to replace the term “monkeypox” with “mpox” due to the racist and stigmatizing language surrounding the disease online following the 2022 outbreak. The virus itself is transmittable either through animal-to-human or human-to-human contact with bodily fluids or any contaminated material. For the 2022 outbreak, the symptoms were largely flu-like, with rashes that started around the genital area—but unlike the rashes typical to monkeypox, they appeared more similar to measles or other noninfectious conditions.

For interview requests and other concerns, please contact media@science.upd.edu.ph. 

References:

Jang, Y. W., Lee, M., Shin, H., Kim, J., Choi, M., Kim, Y. M., Lee, M. J., Kim, J., & Na, H. K. (2022). The first case of monkeypox in the Republic of Korea. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 37(27). https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e224

Ko, Y., Mendoza, V. M., Mendoza, R., Seo, Y., Lee, J., & Jung, E. (2023). Estimation of monkeypox spread in a nonendemic country considering contact tracing and self-reporting: A stochastic modeling study. Journal of medical virology, 95(1), e28232. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.28232

Mpox (monkeypox). (n.d.). https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/monkeypox