Book honors Pinoy trailblazers in science

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino Trailblazers in Science, a book about the lives and contributions to science and technology of 20 top Filipino scientists, was launched recently at the Manila Hotel during the 35th annual scientific meeting of the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST Phl).

Published and printed by Vibal Publishing House Inc., the book was edited by Dr. Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza, a member of NAST PHL and research professor of biochemistry at the Institute of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños.  

The book pays tribute to the country’s acclaimed National Scientists and members of NAST as well as academicians, as they pioneered and built their respective disciplines while mentoring and inspiring the next generation of scientists.

“Their contributions, which have been nationally and internationally recognized, have rewarded Philippine society with the knowledge and technology needed to advance agricultural and industrial production to improve our health basic services,” NAST president Emil Javier wrote in the preface.

The National Scientists featured in the book are: Gelia Castillo, international Filipino social scientist; Clare Baltazar, trailblazer in systematic entomology in the Philippines; Bienvenido Juliano, world-renowned rice chemist; and Bienvenido Nebres, SJ.

The following academicians and their achievements are also featured: Cecilio Lopez, father of Philippine linguistics; Amando Dalisay, a pillar in agricultural economics; Gregorio Zaide, dean of Philippine historians; Magdalena Cantoria, botanist and pharmacognosist; Emerita de Guzman, macapuno researcher; Joventino Duque Soriano, botanist and plant geneticist; Faustino Orillo, mycologist and plant pathologist; Emil Javier, international agricultural scientist; Conrado Dayrit, cardiologist and pharmacologist; Benjamin Cabrera, outstanding pharmacologist and science administrator; Tito Abella Mijares, father of the Philippine statistical system; Melecio Magno, Filipino pioneer physicist and first science minister; Raymundo Favila, to whom mathematics was alive; Jose Juliano, man of science and industry; and Quirino Navarro, nuclear chemist.

This year’s scientific meeting was themed “Harnessing Science and Technology: Reversing the Decline of the Manufacturing Sector in the Philippines.” Arsenio Balisacan, secretary of socioeconomic planning and director general of National Economic Development Authority and distinguished member of NAST Phl, was the keynote speaker.

The 35th annual scientific meeting was organized by the NAST Phl with assistance from various donors and sponsors, including Vibal, a staunch supporter of science education in the country.

More than 700 scientists and researchers from key institutions and agencies participated in the event.