January 29, 2020 – Mr. Richard Nixon Gomez met with leaders and representatives from Isabela State University (ISU) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Wednesday, January 29th at Echague, Isabela. President Ricmar Aquino of ISU and Undersecretary Brenda Manzano of DOST joined for the groundbreaking of the new facilities on the school campus, which was followed by the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing for the said partnership. They were also joined by Engr. Sancho Mabborang, Director of DOST Region II.

This momentous event marks the beginning of a mutually beneficial undertaking which will have tremendous effects on the community. This agreement will allow students from the university to put their classroom education into practice. It will also give local farmers the chance to grow more profitable crops as an alternative to corn and rice.

Usec. Manzano expressed her sentiments regarding this ideal yet rare form of partnership between the academe, government, and private industry. Some aspects of the MOA include funding from the DOST which will allow the ISU to conduct research on medicinal plants such as malunggay and turmeric, among others. These crops are easier to cultivate and will provide more substantial income to the farmers involved. The university will also be involved in preparing these herbs into powdered form for easy consumption.

However, the Undersecretary urged those in attendance to look past the economic benefit this project will bring to the community. Bauertek Corp. will purchase the crops and convert them into organically grown herbal supplements which fight diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Usec. Manzano, a cancer survivor, is a firm believer in the potency of herbal products and hopes that more Filipinos can benefit from them in the future.

Mr. Gomez of Bauertek Corp. developed the world’s most powerful anti-oxidant by combining an extract of turmeric called curcumin with an extract from pepper called piperine. The first bottle of PiCUR (a portmanteau of piperine and curcumin) was sold more than a decade ago and has helped thousands of people all over the country. It is primarily used to combat malignant and benign tumors. Mr. Gomez is the head of the country’s largest group of Certified Naturopathic Practitioners. He is the country’s pioneer of “complementary medicine” which uses scientific tools to diagnose patients while relying on medicinal herbs in food supplement form to treat illnesses. His other products were formulated to help people free themselves from their maintenance medications and avoid treatments such as dialysis.