MANILA, Philippines — Science chief Mario G. Montejo swears in Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora as new executive director of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development. Prior to his appointment to the PCAARRD, Dr. Ebora was the director of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños in Laguna. He is the first DOST executive director to have headed two councils, as Dr. Ebora served as executive director to the former DOST-Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development before his BIOTECH stint. Meanwhile, DOST-PCAARRD is a policy-formulating council that coordinates, evaluates, and monitors the national research and development efforts in agriculture, aquatic and natural resources sectors. It also allocates government and external funds for R&D and generates resources to support its program.