Group 2

Recipients of PRESIDENTIAL LINGKOD BAYAN AWARD

Scientist Nelly S. Aggangan of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and

Biotechnology (BIOTECH), has been hailed as one of the recipients of the 2021
Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The award, presented virtually on Nov. 15, recognizes Dr. Aggangan’s contribution to
science, service to the community, and sustained efforts in agriculture, forestry, and
environment and specifically her work and research on mycorrhizal inoculants, forest
rehabilitation, and greening mine-out areas in the country.

In her four decades of dedicated work at BIOTECH, Dr. Aggangan specialized in

mycorrhizal fungi associated with plants surviving in stressed environments, improving
growth and yield in unproductive agricultural soil, and restoring soil productivity and
sustainability.

She developed innovative products, specifically fungi-based biofertilizers, namely:

MYKOVAM®, MYKORICH®, and MYKOCAP®. These are now in commercial use in
the Philippines and in other countries.

She successfully carried out the rehabilitation of a 30-year-old abandoned and mined-
out area in Mogpog, Marinduque. The area is now covered by a green and healthy
young mini-forest that absorbs heavy metals from the soil.

The multi-awarded Dr. Aggangan was previously recognized by CSC as the regional
awardee of the 2021 Civil Service Commission Lingkod Bayan.
Other prestigious awards Dr. Aggangan received are: The National Gawad Saka
Outstanding Agricultural Scientist Award (2016); Father Jose Burgos Achievement
Award (2017); The Outstanding UPLB Alumni Award (TOUAA) (2018); The Outstanding
Filipino (TOFIL) Award Nation Builders and Heroes in our Midst in the field of
Agriculture (2019); 2019 UPAA Distinguished Alumni in Research in Agriculture (2019);
and UPLB Outstanding Researcher in the Natural Sciences, Senior Category (2020).

The Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award is given to exceptional government workers

whose work contributes to nationwide public interest. (Art John I. Agapito, Kyle Ramiel
Dalangin, and Sophia M. Mercado)

SOURCES: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/uplb-scientist-receives-2021-presidential-lingkod-bayan-award/

Source: https://www.mmsu.edu.ph/news/psca-is-csc-presidential-lingkod-bayan-regional-awardee

A service-oriented academic leader, an innovative institution builder, and a visionary resource

mobilizer.

These attributes of MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis made her an outstanding public servant,
thus, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) cited her as one of the 2020 Presidential Lingkod Bayan
(PLB) Regional Awardees.

The PLB award is one of the three major awards of the CSC’s Search for Outstanding Government
Officials and Employees under its Honor Awards Program (HAP). The other two are the CSC Pagasa
and Dangal ng Bayan awards.

Dr. Agrupis is one of the two Lingkod Bayan regional recipients and among the 12 HAP regional
awardees this year.

The PLB was one of the highlights in the celebration of the 120th Philippine Civil Service
Anniversary. The citation was part of CSC’s advocacy of promoting excellence and recognizing
public servants for outstanding performance, contribution and achievements, and consistent
manifestation of exemplary ethical behavior in the civil service.

Since assuming the MMSU presidency in August 2017, Dr. Agrupis has brought to the MMSU her
35 years of fruitful experience as a faculty member, researcher, and administrator.

She initiated innovative approaches toward improved service delivery for all MMSU stakeholders,
with the end goal of achieving MMSU’s vision to become a premier Philippine university by 2028.

To attain this vision, she crafted her 7-point agenda dubbed ACHIEVE: Academic excellence;
Creative, relevant and innovative research programs; High impact and transformative extension and
outreach programs; Improved revenue generation and resource management; Expanded external
linkages and partnerships; Vibrant and encouraging, culturally-focused university campus; and
Effective and efficient management.

Under her three-year leadership, MMSU aggressively levels up and responds with the international
standards and Industry 4.0 demands. As proofs, MMSU obtained the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO 9001:2015) certification, garnered three stars under the prestigious
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Stars System, and sustained its status as Level IV university and its
Center of Excellence (COE) and Centers of Development (COD).

Despite the demands of presidency, Dr. Agrupis dynamically involves herself in research, extension,
and development (RDE) initiatives by leading the three big research projects of the university:
Bioethanol Research and Extension Program; Tuklas Lunas Development Program; and Black Garlic
Research Project.

Having been raised in a family of smallholder farmers, her research goals are geared toward
developing technologies that help bring inclusive and sustainable development in the communities.

Moreover, under her administration, MMSU has forged partnerships from various universities,
agencies, and organizations here in the Philippines and in other countries.

The numerous awards and citations she harvested include the William D. Dar Research Leadership
Award given by the Philippine Association of Research Managers, Inc. in 2019, one of Laoag City’s
55 Inspiring Heroes in the time of Pandemic, and a Noteworthy Leader in times of crisis in 2020 by
The Ilocos Times.

Dr. Agrupis is also the concurrent president of the Association of State Colleges and Universities –
Solid North (ASCU-SN), and a member of the Philippine Association of State Universities and
Colleges (PASUC) Technical Working Group Platform for Innovating SUCs for Industry, and
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Technical Panel for SUC Levelling.

Through her leadership, the MMSU’s National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center received
last July the CSC Gantimpala Agad Award for its innovation efforts in response to the COVID-19
pandemic crisis. – by DP Tapaoan, Jr. (StratCom)