Silliman University's Dr. Alcala named National Scientist

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — The National Academy of Science and Technology has named Professor Emeritus Dr. Angel C. Alcala as National Scientist, the highest award conferred by the Philippine government on a Filipino scientist.

Alcala, now a trustee and a former president of Silliman University in this city, is among the country's foremost experts in marine ecosystem conservation, pioneering the concept of community-based coastal resource management and the use of artificial reefs as models for fisheries development in the Philippines.

SU's Information and Publications director, Mark Raygan Garcia, in a media release said Alcala has written over 200 books and publications, which have served as reference for topics on community ecology, biogeography and systematics of Philippine amphibians and reptiles.

His extensive research works earned for him numerous awards and distinctions here and abroad, including the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1992 and the Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation, said Garcia.

Alcala once served as secretary of  the  Department of  Environment and Natural Resources and, later, as chairman of  the Commission on  Higher Education, besides being often engaged by international development organizations as consultant.

An Outstanding Sillimanian awardee, Alcala obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biology degree, magna cum laude, from Silliman University in 1951. He completed his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences at Stanford University in California in 1960 and 1966, respectively.

He is the second National Scientist from SU, next to the late Dr. Clara Lim-Sylianco who obtained three degrees from Silliman, all with highest honors.

In the field of culture and arts, SU had produced two National Artists, namely, Dr. Edith Tiempo in literature and Eddie Romero in cinema and broadcast arts. — (FREEMAN)