“Slovenia is present in the Philippines since a couple of months and the Philippines, the embassy here is the only embassy in the ASEAN region and cooperation in business, (and) economic field is one of the priority, very very important priority,” Slovenian Ambassador to the Philippines Smiljana Knez told reporters on the sidelines of a product presentation in Taguig City.
“But when we say business, this is also a very large broad area and we would like to promote these high-tech solutions, cooperation in areas like water technologies. We all know how important clean and safe water is for everyone,” she added.
She noted that access to clean water could be challenging due to climate change and frequent occurrence of natural disasters which damage water infrastructures.
In collaboration with JT Business Development and Touchcore Solutions Inc., the Embassy and the ICPE highlighted Slovenian products and innovations ROTO and Waboost that have improved access to clean drinking water and sewerage systems in many countries.
ROTO is known for water products such as wastewater treatment plants, oil and grease separators and rainwater tanks for increased water self-sufficiency. Its water tanks are durable, safe and scalable with their modular and sustainable design. Since they are installed underground, they save space, reduce bacteria growth and preserve water quality.
Meanwhile, Waboost provides water enhancement and treatment solutions that are optimized for farmers, sports facilities, wastewater treatment companies, and the production industry.
“These are really based on science and research. So, it’s high-tech companies, also present in many countries already. But, since we are here, we are to open the doors, and then it’s up to them if they will find partners and an interest here,” Knez said.
Meanwhile, ICPE adviser Jure Tomc said European countries like Slovenia are focused on the transfer of technology to other countries like the Philippines.
“We are in this strategic shift where we do projects and we really want to create this fair technology access program and frugal innovation,” he said.
“Frugal innovation means we find a technology that is based in a developed country, we bring it to a developing country through a process of re-engineering, re-inventing the technology and by doing that we can make it cheaper and more available for the developing country,” he added.