FILIPINO SCIENTISTS LIFE AND WORKS IN RELATION TO SCIENCE

1) Dr. Rodolfo Aquino

● Life

Born September 5, 1937, Cavite, Philippines

Born in Mateo and Asuncion, he is the fifth of
eight siblings. At the age of 4, his family decided
to move to his mother's hometown in San Jose,
Biñan, Laguna, because of fears that after the
Pearl Harbor attack in Hawaii, Japanese military
forces would bomb their place. Rodolfo
sometimes goes to the rice fields where his
parents and his elder brothers work. They will
harvest a portion of the field during the harvest
period and get a part of the harvest as their share. During his high school days, Rodolfo
decided to study agriculture in college. He graduated from [Lakeshore High School -Biñan,
Laguna] high school and finished fifth out of 200 graduates. The same year, he enrolled at
the College of Agriculture of the University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna, and
majored in rice agronomy.

● Work/Invention
Isolated Rice Breeds
For the International Rice Research Institute, Dr. Rodolfo Aquino isolated nine
particular breeds of rice. In much of Asia, his results helped avoid starvation and were
almost mainly accountable for Thailand and Vietnam becoming the world's leading
producers of rice. For the International Rice Research Institute, Dr. Rodolfo Aquino
isolated nine particular breeds of rice. In much of Asia, his results helped avoid
starvation and were almost mainly accountable for Thailand and Vietnam becoming the
world's leading producers of rice. He was interested mainly in the production of
improved varieties for the irrigated lowlands. He also collaborated with Dr. S. S. Virmani
performed initial studies for the hybrid rice breeding program and served informally for
a few irrigated rice study trainees as a teacher and training coordinator.
2) Magdalena Smith Villaruz (born 1934 in Iloilo)
 She is a rice farmer who invented the Turtle Hand Tiller Tractor and many other
groundbreaking innovations, transforming
agricultural technology. As the rice field
equipment bogged down in the wet terrain,
Magdalena was tired of wasting time and
resources. So she came up with the concept
of a tractor that floats on top of the mud and
water, powered by hand. The definition is an
air-filled turtle-like shell that offers air
tension. Magdalena built and developed a
tractor that is capable of tilling soil. She then
registered her creation quickly and started
manufacturing and selling the devices, not
only in the Philippines, but also in Southeast
Asia and Africa.

3) Angel Alcala
● Life
Angel Alcala was born to a relatively
low-income family in the small coastal town of
Calling, Philippines, on March 1, 1929, in the
municipality of Cauayan, Negros Occidental.
At a young age, Angel used to accompany his
father to the local agricultural fish ponds as a
fisherman. This was the moment when he
began to have an interest in the marine
environment and a passion. Angel Alcala
graduated from Silliman University with his
bachelor's degree in biology and finished with
magna cum laude and later attended Stanford
University in the U.S. to complete his master's
degree. He received his Ph.D. in Biology and an honorary doctorate from both the University of
Xavier and the University of the Southeast Philippines in 1966.
● Work/Invention
 Angel C. Alcala, who was known for his contributions to the development of
sanctuaries and the promotion of biodiversity in the Philippines' marine environments, is
a biologist and ecologist. His biological contributions to the environment and his passion for
marine life, especially those in the tropical waters of the ecosystems of his country, have
made him a renowned natural science hero in the Philippines. And Known for: Marine
Conservation, Biodiversity, and National Scientist of the Philippines.

4) Julian Banzon

● Life
On March 25, 1908, Julian Banzon was born in Balanga, Bataan, to Manuel S.
Banzon and Arcadia Arca. He graduated with a
Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the
University of the Philippines in Manila in 1930. He
joined Iowa State University in the United States as
a UP pensioner in 1937, after several years serving
as an instructor at his alma mater. In 1940, Banzon
earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy in Biochemistry and a
minor in Microbiology.

● Work/Invention

Alternative FuelJulián Arca Banzón was a

Philippine biochemist and a Philippine National Scientist. Banzon is recognized for his
alternative fuel discovery. He studied the production of sugarcane and coconut ethyl
ester fuels and devised a method to extract residual coconut oil through chemical
means.
 5) Arturo Pineda “Father of Geothermal Energy”
● Life

Arturo Pineda Alcaraz was born in Manila to

Conrado Alcaraz and Paz Pineda on March 21st,
1916. The Alcaraz family moved frequently due to his
father's occupation as a government auditor. He
completed his elementary school education in
Lucena, Quezon, and had his high school education
in Camarines Norte and Baguio.

Alcaraz was motivated to pursue a career in

mining by his father's nephew, Leopoldo Faustino,
who was then Head of the Mines Division of the
Office of Research. In 1933, as no university in the country offered a mining-related degree at
that time, he enrolled at the University of the Philippines College of Engineering in Manila.
However, a year later the Mapúa Institute of Technology offered a degree in mining engineering where
Alcaraz transferred to and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. After graduating, he joined
the Bureau of Mines.

● Work/Invention

He was a Filipino volcanologist and scientist known as the Father of Geothermal Energy.
He received the 1982 Government Service Ramon Magsaysay Award and won the IBM Science
and Technology Award. As an aide in the geology field, Alcaraz joined the Bureau of Mines. A
year later, for his master's degree, he went to the United States to study. The Bureau of Mines
assigned him to Busuanga Island, Palawan, to study manganese deposits upon his return in
1941.

References:
https://www.plethorist.com/filipino-inventor-magdalena-villaruz/
https://www.plethorist.com/filipino-inventor-dr-rodolfo-c-aquino-biography/
https://www.plethorist.com/filipino-biologist-angel-alcala/
https://www.plethorist.com/julian-banzon-alternative-fuel-invention/
https://www.plethorist.com/arturo-alcaraz/