.png)
Palencia, AdU's Vigormin featured in 'Bandila'
By Jenica M. Villanueva
Revolutionary water cleaning agent Vigormin was given 3 minutes of fame after it was featured in ABS-CBN's late night news program "Bandila" early this year.
Vigormin, which aims to clean rivers and lakes and make ecosystems sustainable, was featured in the show's January 11 episode.
According to Chemical Engineer Merlinda Palencia, Vigormin can help address the country's water pollution problems.
“Sabi sa studies, 85 percent ng pollution load galing sa residential, 15 percent lang ang galling sa commercial at industrial so ibig sabihin, ang problema ay hindi lang mga businesses, talagang tayo, mga bahay natin ang sanhi ng problema ng pollution ng Pasig River, Manila Bay, at Laguna de Bay (According to studies, 85 percent of pollution load is from residential and only 15 percent is from commercial and industrial which means that the problem is not just the businesses but really us, our households cause the pollution problems in Pasig River, Manila Bay, and Laguna de Bay),” Palencia said during the broadcast.
Vigormin is the market product that Dr. Palencia invented back in 2009 with the help of Adamson University. One
​
kilogram of Vigormin can be mixed with one pale of water good for a month. The mixture should be flushed in toilets for it to reach the septic tanks.
The science behind the product that makes wastewater clean is bioremediation. In this process, the small holes in the particles of Vigormin Organo Minerals allows the bacteria to be attached to it and settle at the bottom in due time thus, making the surface water cleaner.
Palencia’s research was conducted at Estero de Balete and five other waterways in Manila completed several years ago entitled as Organo Mineral Products for Water Treatment and Soil Conditioning Project.
“We are trying to educate people that the problem of water pollution is not a problem of DENR alone but is everyone’s concern,” Palencia said in an interview with Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
Palencia received a prestigious grant from Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF), a program of Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) in United Kingdom and was nominated for Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIIERD) for her renowned invention of Vigormin.
