Agapito Flores

Agapito Flores, the man behind the reason why the world becomes brighter.
A Filipino Inventor who is known for his funnel of the Fluorescent light
tube invention. Fluorescent light, one of the most commonly used lighting
device in the world.

Born September 28, 1897, in Bulacan, Philippines – Flores who

unfortunately didn’t finish his high school because of poverty. Despite his
poverty, he hasn’t lost hope of his ambitions and plans. He then took a
vocational electric course that brought him a job in a machine shop. Out of
curiosity, he conducts an experiment about light and its common uses
typically at night, a kind of light that shines like the daylight. Because of
Agapito Flores, the world has become brighter at night.
A tubular electric lamp coated with a fluorescent material on its inner surface
which contains mercury vapor whose bombardment electrons from the
cathode provides ultraviolet light that causes the material to emit visible light.
 Alfredo C. Santos
Santos was born in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines, on July 13, 1905, to
Fructoso L. Santos and Agatona J. Manapat, and was seventh among
fourteen children. His secondary education was acquired in Manila North
High school (now Arellano). He graduated at Mapúa Institute of
Technology with a degree in Bachelor of Science in civil engineering in 1931.
In the same year, he passed the board examination. He showed interest in
the military when he graduated on the top of his ROTC class at the University
of the Philippines as a cadet colonel and corps commander in 1929. He
continued this interest after schooling.

On August 15, 1900, Alfredo C. Santos,a pharmacist who discovered a

medicine for high blood pressure, was born in Sto. Tomas, Pampanga.
Dr. Santos, who devoted his career on the study of the chemistry of natural
products and the properties of Philippine medicinal plants, served for 45
years in various capacities at the University of the Philippines (UP) until he
retired in 1965 as Dean of the College of Pharmacy. After his stint at the UP,
Dr. Santos continued to do research at the University of Santo Tomas
Research Center and the National Institute of Science and Technology
(NIST).
 Angel C. Alcala
Angel C. Alcala (born March 1, 1929) is a Filipino biologist who was named
a National Scientist of the Philippines in 2014. Alcala is known for his
fieldwork to build sanctuaries and to promote biodiversity in the aquatic
ecosystems of the Philippines.

During his 30 years of experience as a biologist, Alcala made major

contributions to marine biology research efforts in the Philippines and
authored over 160 scientific papers as well as books. Alcala was the first
Filipino scientist to engage in comprehensive studies concerning Philippine
reptiles and amphibians. He also made contributions for mammals and birds.
From the 400 already known species of reptiles and amphibians, 50 more
species were identified due to his efforts. Because of his work, conservation
programs in the Philippines are now well established.

In 1977 Acala set up the first artificial reef in the Philippines in Dumaguette
in 1977 when he worked for the Philippine government as Secretary of
Environment and National Resources.
 Arturo Alcaraz
Arturo Alcaraz (1916-2001) was a Filipino volcanologist who specialized in
geothermal energy development. Born in Manila, Alcaraz is best-known as
the Philippines' "Father of Geothermal Energy Development" due to his
contributions to studies about Philippine volcanology and the energy derived
from volcanic sources. His main contribution was the study and
establishment of geothermal power plants in the Philippines. In the 1980s,
the Philippines attained the second-highest geothermal generating capacity
in the world, in great part due to Alcaraz's contributions.

The Kahimyang Project notes that Alcaraz "pioneered in generating

electricity by means of geothermal steam among areas proximate to
volcanoes." The Project noted, "With a vast and extensive knowledge on
volcanoes in the Philippines, Alcaraz explored the possibility of harnessing
geothermal steam to produce energy. He succeeded in 1967 when the
country's first geothermal plant produced much-needed electricity, ushering
the era of geothermal-based energy to power up homes and industries."
Alcaraz was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1955 for two semesters
of study at the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a
Certificate in Volcanology.
 Carmen C. Velasquez

Carmen C. Velasquez Born in Bayambang, Pangasinan, Dr. Velasquez was

conferred the National Scientist Award in 1983.
As a professor emeritus of Zoology, scientist and scholar, she holds the
distinction of being the first Ph.D graduate of Parasitology.

Dr. Velasquez discovered 32 species and one genus of digenetic trematodes

in 13 families from Philippine food fishes; two from birds and three from
mammals; three species and a genus of Monogenea from marine fishes
eight life cycles of Digenea in seven families and three of nematodes from
fresh water and marine fishes. In addition, she found Capillaria philippinensis
inside the intestine of a Filipino man, which was the first of its kind in the
entire world. She also published "Digenetic Trematodes of Philippine
Fishes," which became a valuable regional reference to fish parasitology and
aquaculture management.
 Eduardo Quisumbing
Eduardo Quisumbing (November 24, 1895–August 23, 1986) was a Filipino
botanist and a noted expert in the medicinal plants of the Philippines. He was
an author of more than 129 scientific articles, many on orchids. Quisumbing
served as the director of the National Museum of the Philippines, where he
oversaw the rebuilding of the herbarium, which was completely destroyed
during World War II. The plant Saccolabium quisumbingii is named for him.
Quisumbing was born on November 24, 1895, in Santa Cruz, Laguna,
Philippines. His parents were Honorato de los R. Quisumbing and Ciriaca F.
Arguelles-Quisumbing.

The orchid named after Quisumbing, Saccolabium quisumbingii—also

known as Tuberolabium quisumbingii—is a beautiful plant that is widely
available in the United States. Like other orchids in the genus Tuberolabium
kotoense, this orchid produces small but plentiful bright purplish/pink-and-
white flowers and grows in the mountains of the Phillippines.
Quisumbing's legacy also lives on in the other beautiful orchids and flowers
of the Philippines that he spent his life cultivating, protecting, and describing
for the world to learn about and enjoy.
 Eduardo San Juan
Mechanical engineer Eduardo San Juan (aka The Space Junkman) worked
on the team that invented the Lunar Rover, or Moon Buggy. San Juan is
considered the primary designer of the Lunar Rover. He was also the
designer of the Articulated Wheel System. Prior to the Apollo program, San
Juan worked on the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

Eduardo San Juan graduated from Mapua Institute of Technology. He then

studied nuclear engineering at the University of Washington. In 1978, San
Juan received one of the Ten Outstanding Men (TOM) awards in science
and technology.

In 1971, the Moon Buggy was first used during the Apollo 12 landing to
explore the moon. The Lunar Rover was a battery-powered, four-
wheeled rover also used on the moon in the last three missions of the
American Apollo program (15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972. The Lunar
Rover was transported to the moon on the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) and,
once unpacked on the surface, could carry one or two astronauts, their
equipment, and lunar samples. The three LRVs remain on the moon.
 Fe del Mundo
Fe Villanueva del Mundo, OLD ONS OGH, (born Fé Primitiva del Mundo y
Villanueva; 27 November 1911 – 6 August 2011) was a Filipina pediatrician,
the founder of the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines. Her pioneering
work in pediatrics in the Philippines while in active medical practice spanned
eight decades. Del Mundo was born in Manila on Nov. 27, 1911. She was
the sixth of eight children. Her father Bernardo served one term in the
Philippine Assembly, representing the province of Tayabas. Three of her
eight siblings died in infancy, while an older sister died from appendicitis at
age 11. It was the death of her older sister, who had made known her desire
to become a doctor for the poor, that pushed the young Del Mundo toward
the medical profession.

Del Mundo returned to the Philippines in 1941. She joined the International
Red Cross and volunteered to care for children-internees at the University of
Santo Tomas internment camp for foreign nationals. She established a
makeshift hospice within the internment camp and became known as "The
Angel of Santo Tomas." Del Mundo's accomplishments are still remembered
years after her death. The hospital she founded is still open and now bears
her name, the Fe Del Mundo Medical Center.
Mundo's choice to specialize in pediatrics may have been shaped by the loss
of 3 siblings, who died as infants during her childhood in Manila."
 Felix D. Maramba
Dr Felix D. Maramba, Sr. is recognized for his important contributions in the
field of a Filipino scientist who developed and utilized biogas. He created a
coconut oil-fueled power generator and developed one of the world's most
profitable biogas systems.

Dr Felix D. Maramba, Sr. is recognized for his important contributions in the

field of a Filipino scientist who developed and utilized biogas. He created a
coconut oil-fueled power generator and developed one of the world's most
profitable biogas systems. In 1984, a thriving piggery gave him and his son,
Felix K. Maramba Jr., the idea of generating their own power with methane
gas produced from manure. Other energy requirements at Maya Farms,
including their processing plant, and feed mill, operated totally independent
of Meralco. The said technology was given for free. Farm technicians fan out
to the provinces to teach people how to harness energy from waste. Felix
Maramba is the president of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers, Inc.
He wrote two books: “Biogas and Waste Recycling, The Philippine
Experience” and “Farm Management in the Philippines”. He designed the
Maya Farms Model.
 Gregorio Velasquez
On September 2, 1901, Gregorio Tiongson Velasquez, botanist and known
as father of Philippine Phycology, was born in Calumpit, Bulacan.

Velasquez, who was conferred the National Scientist in Tropical Phycology

award by President Ferdinand Marcos in 1982, pioneered research in
phycology or the study of algae in the country.

He obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees, major

in Botany, from the University of the Philippines in 1925 and 1931,
respectively. He also studied later at the University of Michigan and finished
another Master of Science degree (1937), as well as a Ph.D. (1939), major
in Phycology, under the supervision of the eminent phycologist William
Randolph Taylor. Velasquez was Professor Emeritus of Botany at the
University of the Philippines. For many years, he was chairman for Biological
Sciences of the National Research Council of the Philippines.
He was married to Carmen Camacho Velasquez, a fish parasitologist and
also a National Scientist.

He died on July 29, 1989 at the age of 87.

Velasquez Street at the campus of the University of the Philippines in
Diliman, Quezon City, was named in honor of the Velasquez couple who
resided in one of the older houses located on the same street.