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MUNOZ SHOULD BE FIRST SCIENCE CITY -- ANGARA

Munoz, Nueva Ecija, Nov. 23, 1997 - Senator Edgardo Angara is pushing for legislation that will make the municipality of Munoz the first Science City in the Philippines.

The presidential aspirant and former University of the Philippines president told a gathering of 3,000 students and teachers of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) that the town deserves the distinction for its pioneering work in the advancement of science and technology research and development in the country.

Angara said the proposed Agricultural Modernization and Profitability Enhancement Act will give state universities and colleges bigger roles in the development of the sector.

The measure seeks to establish a network of centers of excellence in agriculture and fishery education composed of three national universities, one each for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Selected state universities and colleges will be designated as national research centers for specific commodities.

Munoz is where the first test-tube carabao was developed. The town likewise pioneered the breeding of the "y-y" tilapia, which could be harvested in only three months. The process involves sexual chromosome reversal, converting all tilapia fingerlings in a pond to male thereby producing a more profitable feed-to-fish ratio.

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