#semfila

By Isay del Mundo

If you spent time on Facebook or Twitter during the fourth week of February, you’d probably notice the influx of pictures and videos of the ID112 students being posted at random times of the day. This is because the ID112 students went to Singapore for their SEMFILA trip together with Dr. Lawrence Belo and Engr. Dennis Yu to visit plants in the city famous for its Merlion insignia. The tour focused on visiting different plants and schools in Singapore to give the students a firsthand experience of how these companies operate and it also serves as an educational tour to expose students to actual practice of the chemical engineering profession.

Day 1

The flight to Singapore was at 5:30am and so during the call time of 2:30am at NAIA, we were a mix of sleepy, excited and hungry students doing random things like trying to double check if our baggage would not go over the 10kg limit, or checking if the adapter we brought was correct. In general though, we were just talking to one another to try to keep the drowsiness away and to keep boredom at bay. By the time we were allowed to board the plane, most of us have eaten prior to the flight since food in the plane and in Singapore is generally more expensive. Since it was a red-eye flight, most of us slept through the plane ride so that the weariness that comes with the lack of sleep won’t interfere with the day’s activities. I should also mention that there were a few students who upgraded to Singapore Airlines, and so the arrival times were different but not too drastic.

The first thing you’ll notice when you’re in Singapore is how clean everything is. Not to put down our own country of course, but the level of cleanliness in Singapore is really noteworthy. With the volume of cars in Manila, the fresh air was refreshing to say the least. Or perhaps it’s simply because the notion of going abroad with your friends makes the whole experience especially memorable.

Since check-in at the hotel was still in the afternoon, we waited for the people who flew with Singapore Airlines by the hotel. During this time, most, if not all of us took the opportunity to go around the area to check for nearby restaurants, malls and MRT stations. Conveniently, the hotel was located near the Bras Basah MRT station so transportation during our free time was no problem.

By the time we’ve checked in the hotel, we were ready to visit SG Polytechnic. I have little to say about SG Polytechnic other than the facilities and the overall vibe was very, very nice. Seeing their labs and equipment made most of us a little jealous of their facilities because they had almost everything we studied about: gas absorption towers, distillation columns, batch reactors, etc. It’s a plus that everything was well maintained, so even the fume hoods were a big deal for us haha!

They have a lot of spacious laboratories and most of their experiments are very hands on. In their curriculum, as it is a polytechnic college, they do not require students to write theses but rather, the final requirement for the students is a final project that aims to solve practical issues.

Our departure from SG Polytechnic back to the hotel marks the end of day 1. The remaining time till the evening was given to the students to explore and go around Singapore.

Day 2

The second day consisted of a plant tour to Perkin Elmer and a university tour at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Perkin Elmer was significantly further compared to SG Poly and so travel time was a bit longer; however with Singapore being such as small country, everything is near relative to the places in the Philippines.

If you’ve been to STRC, there is a Gas Chromatograph manufactured by Perkin Elmer. We got to see the machines they produce in their showroom and the staff explained to us how it works.

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Out of curiosity, we asked how much one of their machines cost and the SGD 100,000 price tag is enough to tell us the complexity and quality of their machines.

Photo by Jahziel Lantin

After the showroom, we went to the manufacturing area. Pieces and specialized parts were assembled and made here to produce the final product. One of the people in the manufacturing sector was actually a Filipino so during the explanation of the manufacturing process, he spoke in his mother tongue. Pictures in the manufacturing site of Perkin Elmer were not allowed; however we got a group picture together with some of the staff.

After Perkin Elmer, the next stop was NUS. NUS is a very famous university and so personally, my expectations were very high. I was not disappointed as their programme is covers a lot of topics in engineering. They have specializations in their chemical engineering programmes ranging from membrane science, polymer engineering to petroleum refining. Their labs were also very well maintained as well. We were lucky we were able to gain access to their labs since the students were on holiday. It was by chance that our visit ended up on a day where the students were not there as they do not normally allow visitors to see their facilities. There were still some restricted places but we’re considered very lucky to be able to see their labs.

During the last bit of our tour, we got to meet some graduate students of the university. One of them was a Filipino on a scholarship taking his PhD in Chemical Engineering. He was a summa cum laude from the University of the Philippines and he highly recommended studying in NUS. When we asked one of the professors how much their tuition fee is, he responded that its roughly 8000 SGD per semester. Since one degree takes 8 semesters to finish, that’s 64,000 SGD which roughly translates to 2.3 million pesos.

Day 3

Day 3 was the heaviest day in terms of the itinerary as 3 plant visits were planned for that day. The first visit was Marina Barrage, which Singapore’s 15th reservoir.  Unlike regular dams, the Marina Barrage not only supplies water to Singaporeans, but it also serves as a venue for recreational activities. They allow dragon boat races and kayaking when the water levels are stable, and they have a rooftop garden which gives a nice view of the city.  

The Marina Barrage also houses the Sustainable Singapore gallery which aims to show the importance of the conservation of water and the environment through interactive displays and games.

Next after the Marina Barrage is also a water-related plant, NEWater. NEWater is a brand for Singapore’s reclaimed water and they treat wastewater using membrane and UV technology to produce high grade purified water free of any minerals, solutes and ions that is used in industry.

We toured the place with other tourists so it was quite packed. Nonetheless, it was a great experience that even came with a souvenir. NEWater gave us free samples of their high purity water that came is special bottles. It is potable for drinking; however due to the lack of minerals, it is not recommended as a daily source for water intake.

Last in the list is Aik Moh Paints and Chemicals. Out of all the plants visited, this is probably the plant visit that gave us the most chemistry-related vibe. Aik Moh produces chemicals for distribution all over Asia including industrial and laboratory grade chemicals. Here we got to see the products they made such as printing toners, ethanol, water-based chemicals etc. Our tour guide was actually a graduate of Mapua so communication was not a problem.

Day 4

Day 4 was probably the most anticipated day as it marked the start of the free days before our flight back to Manila. We went to Universal Studios early in the morning and since it would not be practical for all of us to go to the same ride at the same time, we dispersed into batches.

The most noticeable ride would have to be the Battlestar Galactica rollercoasters. If you like extreme rides, I would recommend this ride, especially the Cylon rollercoaster (blue). The waiting time can get really long though, so prepare yourselves to wait in line for 30 mins to over an hour.

Photo by Rossan Bayon

The Transformers ride was also a batch favourite. It’s a hybrid of a 4D movie and a rollercoaster so it was a popular choice for everyone.

Other notable attractions include The Revenge of the Mummy, Puss in Boots Giant Journey, Lights, Camera, Action!, and the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure. Be sure to get a copy of the schedules of shows also if you’d like to watch as they have designated time slots.

Photo by Rossan Bayon

Needless to say, it was an extremely fun day.

Day 5

The last day came with the looming thought that we’d go back to the usual routine; however we tried to make the most out of this day. Some went to malls to go shopping, some went to Chinatown for a foodtrip, and some went to the Marina Bay area to see the Gardens by the Bay.

By the time we had to go back to the airport, we were finally feeling the fatigue that came with maximizing each day. Since it was a red-eye flight, people slept in the airport and on the plane and in three hours, we were back in Manila.

Overall it was an immensely enriching and fun experience especially since we were with our batch mates. And since the trip was centered on plant visits, we got to go to places we wouldn’t normally be able to. I can honestly say that the trip strengthened bonds between everyone in the batch and we made lots of good memories together with our professors. It was definitely one for the books.