PERSONALITIES IN PHILIPPINE S&T

• Juan S. Salcedo, Jr.

NUTRITION AND PUBLIC HEALTH

A medical doctor and scientist, his numerous research studies in biochemistry,

nutrition, and physiology furthered the cause of health of the Filipino people.
He was also an administrator, policy maker, and science promoter.

• Alfredo C. Santos

CHEMISTRY AND NATURAL PRODUCTS

He devoted his career to the study of chemistry and natural products, and the
search for medicinal properties in local plant species.

• Gregorio Y. Zara

ENGINEERING

He contributed to the popular understanding and utilization of science in the

country. His pioneering research on solar energy before there was an energy
crisis showed his forward-looking perspective in science. He invented the
two-way television telephone or videophone (1955) patented as a “photo
phone signal separator network". He also discovered the physical law of
electrical kinetic resistance called the Zara effect (circa 1930).
 • Eduardo A. Quisumbing

BOTANY

A botanist and taxonomist par excellence, he published original articles on

Philippine flora and identified new orchid species. His book on medicinal plants
was the forerunner of research studies on these plants in the Philippines.

• Geminlano T. de Ocampo

OPTHALMOLOGY

A pioneer in modern ophthalmology, he established the first eye hospital in the

country and introduced corneal transplantation. He designed an
ophthalmological instrument known as the de Ocampo corneal dissector.

• Casimiro del Rosarlo

PHYSICS

His research on ultraviolet light, on the effect of radioactive radiation

on Euglena, on high voltage discharges in high vacuum, and much more earned
for himself and his country lasting honor and distinction. He contributed
immensely to the study of algae over 30 years of his life. He taught and
developed generations of Filipino biologists. He pioneered in Philippine
phycology (the scientific study of algae), particularly on Myxophyceae.

• Fe Del Mundo

PEDIATRICS

She dedicated her life to the cause of pediatrics in the country. Her research
on pediatrics; her training of physicians, paramedics, and lay health workers in
childcare; and her extension services to the remote rural areas became the
moving spirit behind the establishment of various pediatric institutions in the
country. She was the first woman admitted at Harvard Medical School and
founder of the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. She authored the first
local textbook on pediatrics and developed an incubator made from bamboo
that became a staple in rural health centers without electricity.

• Francisco M. Fronda

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

He devoted over six decades of his life to teaching, research, and extension
activities. He was instrumental in the development of the poultry industry in
Southeast Asia.

• Francisco 0. Santos

HUMAN NUTRITION AND AGRİCULTURAL CHEMISTRY

He made comprehensive investigations on the nutritive value and chemical

composition of Filipino foods and on Philippine nutrition problems. He
established the anti-beriberi content of sweet potato and demonstrated the
food value of this crop.

• Carmen C. Velasquez
PARASITOLOGY

Her pioneering research on trematodes described 32 new specles and 1 genus

from Philippine foods, fishes, birds, and mammals. Capallira philippinensis from
the human intestine was the first to be reported in the world. Her
book, Diagenetic Trematodes of Philippine Fishes, the first in Southeast Asia,
became a regional reference for fish parasitology and aquaculture
management.

• Luz Ollveros-Belardo

PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY

An expert on the chemistry of natural products and essential oils from

Philippine plants, she extracted and identified 33 new essential oils. New
flavors and herbal medicines resulted from her research

• Alfredo V. Lagmay

EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

He is recognized for his studies on the experimental analysis of behavior,

behavior modification relaxation and related states, and hypnosis.

• DIscoro L. Umali

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Academician, scientist, educator, research organizer, development

administrator, and science statesman, he improved varieties of food grains,
legumes, fruits, and ornamental plants. His writings paved the way for
programs in rainfed agriculture, social forestry environmental conservation,
and rural poverty reduction.

• Paulo C. Campos

NUCLEAR MEDICINE

He did outstanding research on nuclear medicine, insulin action, red blood

cells, and goiter. He established the first medical radioisotope laboratory and
thyroid clinic in the Philippines
 • Pedro B. Escuro

GENETICS AND PLANT BREEDING

He provided leadership in the development, isolation, and release of many rice

cultivars. His classic C4-63 became the standard for high-quality rice in the
Philippines as well as many other rice-growing countries.

• Clara Y. Lim-Syllanco

BIOCHEMISTRY AND ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Her numerous discoveries of environmental mutagens culminated in the

designation of her laboratory as an international training center for the
detection of chemical mutagens, and her appointment to the International
Advisory Committee on Anti-mutagens.

• Hllarlo D, G. Lara

PUBIC HEATH

His exhaustive studies on the epidemiology of cholera, typhoid dysentery,

measles, and diphtheria led to the control of these diseases in the country. He
devoted more than 50 years of his life to public health.

• Dolores A Ramirez

BIOCHEMICAL GENETICS

Her research on the genetic system controlling the makapuno endosperm of

coconut, the genetics of chemical resistance factors against cercospora leaf
spot (fungal plant disease), and the hybrids of rice with related wild species
have contributed to the improvement and understanding of important crops in
the Philippines.

• Jose R. Velasco

His pioneering research on plant mineral nutrition, photoperiodism, chemical

weed control, and plant growth provided the basis for important crop
production management, practices and research directions
 • Blenvenldo 0. Juliano

CEREAL CHEMISTRY

He has contributed immensely to improving rice and rice food products, their
nutritional values, and the means to evaluate rice quality - making a relevant
socioeconomic impact in many rice-eating countries of the world. Many of his
works were published in international journals. He trained many scientists and
researchers who have further contributed to rice science and technology

• Clare R. Baltazar

ENTOMOLOGY

She has devoted her life to studying the diversity of Philippine insects. She
discovered and named over 100 species and 9 new genera of parasitic wasps,
and identified effective biological controls. Her works are essential references
for many scientists and conservationists all over the world. Known as the "First
Filipina Entomologist," she set the standard of excellence for all Filipino
entomologists.

• Benlto S. Vergara

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

With a noble vision to help farmers and bring science and technology closer to
the Filipino people, he contributed enormously to improving rice varieties to
produce better harvests. He popularized the scientific basis of growing rice. He
was behind the creation of IRRI Riceworld and the Philippine Science Heritage
Center, two science centers that extol science-oriented culture.

• Oscar Ibarra

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

A leading researcher on design and analysis of algorithms. His findings on

approximation algorithms appear in many textbooks. He pioneered a very
powerful method called the padding" of "translational" technique, which is now
widely utilized in complexity theory.

• Dlosdado Banatao
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Entrepreneur par excellence in high technology industry. He pioneered

graphics acceleration, introducing the world's first single-chip graphical user
Interface (GUI) accelerator, which eliminates the bottleneck in the graphics
subsystem.

SELECTED INDIGENOUS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGIES

• Pili nut

Pill nut (Canarlum ovatum) is endemic to the Bicol Reglon. The nuts are made
into delicate sweets, while the pulp can be boiled and eaten. The resin from
the tree, Manila elemi, is used for varnish, lacquers, plastics perfumes, and
printing inks. Pili is a significant contribution of the Philippines to the
important plants of the world

• Nata de coco

Nata is a century-old Filipino product first discovered In Laguna. It is formed

by a microorganism growing on top of the piña (pineapple extract). The
gelatinous substance is made into sweets. This started the nata de piña
industry in Laguna. Because of the seasonality of pineapples, production of
nata was limited. In 1949, Teodula K. Africa used coconut water as an
alternative medium. It was a success, and people started using coconut water
from then on. Today, this native Filipino delicacy is enjoyed all over the world
as a dessert. When dried, the nata forms a strong, pure, cellulosic material
with great potential for development In materials science.

• Makapuno

Makapuno is a coconut mutant found in the Philippines. The taste is unlike that
of normal coconut. It is used in making Filipino delicacies such as preserves,
ice cream flavoring, pastillas, yema, etc. Other countries are now planting this
rare mutant for its exotic flavor.

• Abaca
When Ferdinand Magellan landed In Cebu in 1521, he discovered the Filipinos
dressed in clothes made of a material he had never seen before. Three
hundred years before the Western world discovered the vital application of
abaca, the Filipinos had already mastered the art of extracting and using
it. Abaca (Musa textiles) is similar to the banana plant. The fibers from abaca
are used in making jusi, sinamay, t'nalak, rugs, doormats, bags, etc. The fine
fibers are made into lens tissue, tea bags, and numerous other Items, Abaca is
also used as a component in papermaking: Manila paper, Manila envelopes,
and paper money. Unlike plastic, abaca is biodegradable and is a renewable
resource. The Philippines supplies 85% of the world's needs.

• Waling-Waling

Waling-waling (Vanda sanderiana) was discovered In Mindanao in 1880. It is

one of the most beautiful orchids in the world. Most
commercial Vanda hybrids contain genes from waling-waling.

• llosone

llosone is a broad-spectrum antibiotic discovered by Abelardo Aguilar from a

soil in Iloilo. It was later called Erythromycin.

• C4-63

A quality rice is essential in Asia, where most people consume this food daily
sometimes with nothing else to go with it. One such outstanding rice variety,
C4-63, was developed by Pedro B. Escuro, a rice breeder.

• Tiki-tiki

Berlberi is a disease caused by a vitamin deficiency. Children are especially

vulnerable to this deficiency. In the Philipplnes, a good source of this vitamin
was found in rice bran. The extract was called tiki-tiki. Manuel Zamora, a
Fillpino pharmacist, made tiki-tiki stable and readily available in small bottles. It
is still produced as United American Tiki-tiki. TIki-tiki has saved the lives of
many children and is an outstanding contribution to the children of the world.

• Quink

Before the advent of ballpoint pens, fountain pens were the standard writing
implements. These needed ink that is permanent, dries easily, and does not run
out of the pen or across the paper when you write. In 1923, Francisco
Quisimbing, a Filliplno chemist, formulated such an ink known as Quink (short
for Quisimbing’s ink) which is still in use today.

• Conotoxin

The pioneers in world research on the marine shells called Conus are Lourdes
Cruz and Baldomero Olivera, Jr. Conus shells produce toxin that is lethal to
humans but has been proven useful in research on neuroscience, as a tool for,
determining cancer, and possibly as a drug for patients who have suffered a
stroke.

• Sex reversal In tilapia

Rapid population growth is a problem in tilapia culture. Overpopulation can be

prevented by growing only one sex of the fish. Rafael Guerrero III found that
the male tilapia grows faster and blgger than the female. He suggested that
only male tilapia be grown. But selection is difficult. To overcome the difficulty
of selecting male tilapia, Guerrero used a sex hormone fed to the fry,
converting females into males. This method is now widely used worldwide.
Tilapia provides the important protein diet for many countries.

• Pure Makapuno Tree

The embryo of the makapuno nut is not able to germinate; hence no pure
makapuno-bearing trees occur in nature. Makapuno-bearing trees produce
only 16% makapuno nuts. Emerita de Guzman conducted research to produce
a coconut tree bearing 100% makapuno nuts. It took de Guzman 14 years to
finally produce more makapuno-bearing trees from artificially cultured
embryos. The Philippines has greatly benefited from her research.

DOST Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda 2017-2022

The DOST, in consultation with government and private research and

development institutions, the academe, industry and other concerned
agencies, prepared the Harmonized National R&D Agenda (HNRDA) 2017-
2022 to ensure that results of S&T endeavors are geared towards and are
utilized in areas of maximum economic and social benefit for the people. The
formulation of the HNRDA is in line with the DOST’s mandate of providing
central direction, leadership and coordination of the scientific and
technological efforts in the country.

The HNRDA is aligned with AmBisyon Natin 2040: Matatag, Maginhawa at

Panatag na Buhay para sa lahat. It has three pillars: Malasakit (enhancing the
social fabric), Pagbabago (reducing inequality) and Kaunlaran (increasing
potential growth). AmBisyon Natin 2040 and the three pillars form the
foundation for more inclusive growth, a high-trust and resilient society and a
globally competitive knowledge economy. The HNRDA is organized into 5
sectors: Basic Research; Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources; Health;
Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology; and Disaster Risk Reduction and
Climate Change Adaptation.