IMCC CAS Faculty Member Wins Second Place in 3-minute Pitch to Policymakers Region 10 Health Research Competition

The IMCC Community is very proud to congratulate Prof. Al James A. Manua for winning second place in the 3-minute pitch to policymakers competition during the Regional Health Research Competition 2021. The event was conducted by the Northern Mindanao Consortium for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology Region 10, on November 11, 2021 via Zoom.

The competition aims to communicate completed health research study to policymakers and key stakeholders to empower decision making. Prof. Manua pitched his policy entitled “Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs): An emerging poison we should be concerned about!!!” from his completed study, “The Use of Fish (Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus L.) as a Bioindicator for Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) Pollution in Lake Lanao, Philippines”.

Being the second-largest freshwater lake in the country located in Southern Philippines and considered one of the ancient lakes of the world, Lake Ranao was evaluated for its endocrine-disrupting chemicals pollution status using Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) as a bioindicator. Based on the results of the study, Lake Ranao was polluted as manifested by its high total nitrogen content, and presence of non-specific and inflammatory alterations, toxicopathic non-neoplastic, and pre-neoplastic alterations.

Prof. Manua believes that through his policy proposition, more research will be conducted in Lake Ranao involving several local communities with the aim of evaluating the endocrine-disrupting chemicals pollution status using Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) and increasing collaboration and participation among members of the community surrounding the said lake to reduce further adverse effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals pollution to human and environmental health.