The 10th Filipino Faces of Biotechnology Awards

I was invited to the 10th Filipino Faces of Biotechnology (FoB) Awards presented by the Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program Office (DA Biotech Program).

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Now in its 10th year, this award is given to scientists, civil servants, farmers, communicators, and student leaders who have contributed or played a significant role in the advancement of biotechnology in the country. It emphasizes how the individual moved biotech from idea to successful execution for the benefit of the country, with 90 percent of the judging criteria devoted to the individual’s accomplishments in research and development, policy, advocacy, and/ or communication, and the rest to awards and citations that serve as supporting documentation.

“This initiative sought to show that biotech in the Philippines is shaped by the people... [It is] a way to document and recognize the individuals who stayed in the field, quietly doing the work, often without recognition, and often under difficult conditions,” DA Biotech Program Director Paul Limson, DVM said in his welcome remarks.

“Agriculture does not move quickly... it is shaped by... biological limits and influenced by markets, policy, and public confidence. Research plays an important role in this system, but research itself does not improve the yield, reduce losses, or raise farm incomes. What matters is whether technologies can be tested, adjusted, and eventually used under farming conditions that are far from ideal.”