FILIPINO SCIENTIST AND THEIR INVENTIONS

NAME: Aubrey Nicole L. Alinsunod SECTION: BSNII N1

Fe Del Mundo
Born in Intramuros, Manila, on November 27, 1911, Fe del Mundo founded
the very first pediatric hospital in the Philippines and molded the modern child
healthcare system to what it is now. She graduated from the University of the
Philippines and continued her studies at Boston
University.

Her work and accomplishments were focused on

addressing the lack of medical equipment in rural
communities during the aftermath of the war. She is most
renowned for inventing an incubator made from bamboo
specifically designed for places without electrical power.

WHY FE DEL MUNDO PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

The death of her younger sister Elisa, who had made known her desire to become
a doctor for the poor, inspired del Mundo to choose a career in medicine. In 1926,
del Mundo enrolled at the UP College of Medicine, at the original campus of the
University of the Philippines in Manila.

Diosdado “Dado” Banatao

Born in Iguig, Cagayan on May
23, 1946, Diosdado “Dado” Banatao’s
story is a success story of rags to
riches. His family worked on a rice farm
and went to school barefooted. He
studied hard and graduated from
Ateneo de Teguegarao Highschool and
later earned his BS in Electrical
Engineering from the Mapua Institute
of Technology as cum laude.

He joined Philippine Airlines as a

trainee pilot and later landed a job at
Boeing as a design engineer and gave him the opportunity to stay in the US. He
then pursued his studies in Stanford for his Master of Science. Later, he joined the
Homebrew Computer Club, where he met Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

His first major accomplishment was the design and invention of the first
single chip 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator. This would lead him later to
develop the first system logic chip set for IBM, the first Windows Graphics
accelerator chip for PCs.

He is now a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley and philanthropist with the

aim of furthering education and study of the next generation.

WHY DIOSDADO “DADO” BANATAO PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

Born and raised in Iguig, Cagayan Valley, he grew up not having access to what
people usually take for granted: electricity, internet, and paved roads. He often
felt like he was inferior, which instilled a desire to work harder than everyone
else.

Ramon Barba
Born in San Nicolas, Ilocos
Norte on August 31, 1939,
Ramon Cabanos Barba was a
horticulturist and is the reason
why we have mangoes to eat
every season rather than waiting
all year.

He graduated from the

University of the Philippines Los
Banos with a BS in Agriculture
majoring in Agronomy and fruit
production. He furthered his education in the University of Georgia and graduated
with a Masters in Horticulture in 1962 and took his PhD in Plant Physiology in
University of Hawaii at Manoa.

His research focused on inducing flowering of mangoes out of season

(April- May) using potassium nitrate. This led to fruiting several times a year
without harming the plants. He also chooses to not file a patent to his research so
that farmers were free to use his research at no cost.

Ramon’s achievements did not stop with mangoes. He also made breaking
research in Bananas, Sugarcanes, Calamansi (Filipino lemon), and other fruits and
vegetables that led a boom in the agriculture market.

He was added as a national scientist of the Philippines in 2014.

WHY RAMON BARBA PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

His inspiration to study in this field came from his grandfather, Juan Cabanas, who
was then an official of the Bureau of Plants and Industry (BPI) and Dr. L.G.
Gonzales who is considered as the father of horticulture in the Philippines.

Abelardo Aguilar
After discovering
an antibiotic derived
from a type of bacteria
found on his own farm
in 1949, a Filipino
scientist became
famous. Dr. Abelardo
Aguilar identified a
strain of bacteria while
studying soil samples
from his own lawn,
which led to the
discovery of Erythromycin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is now widely used.

Erythromycin is an antibiotic that is used to treat and prevent a variety of

infections in the body. Illnesses of the respiratory system and skin, as well as
acute pelvic inflammatory disease, pertussis, Legionnaire's disease, and syphilis,
are among these infections. It's also used as a penicillin substitute for those who
are allergic to the antibiotic.

Dr. Aguilar worked for the Eli Lily Company in the United States of America
at the time of his discovery. He provided the soil samples to his company in good
faith, and they worked on isolating Erythromycin from a bacterial strain detected
in the samples. It was a Streptomyces Erythreus strain that produced
Erythromycin as one of its metabolic products.
 The substance was first sold in 1952 under the brand name Ilosone (the
place in the Philippines where it originated). Unfairly, Eli Lily Co. filed for both
patent protection and a US patent without paying Dr. Aguilar any royalties or
credit for his invention. Following that, he fought for what he was owed in a 40-
year battle.

WHY ABELARDO AGUILAR PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

Even as a young boy, he showed keen interest and aptitude for science. During his
early years, Abelardo Aguilar already demonstrated exceptional intellect and a
penchant for scientific subjects. He spent hours reading medical journals and
science books, developing a zeal for healthcare and research. His parents
encouraged his academic interests and supported his dream to become a doctor.
This cultivated Aguilar’s aspirations to practice medicine and contribute to
innovations in the pharmaceutical field.

Mara Orosa e Ylagan

Born in Taal, Batangas in 1892, Mara Orosa e Ylagan was a Filipino food
technologist, pharmacist, humanitarian, and military hero. She experimented with
Filipino cuisine and invented Soyalac, a nutrient-rich drink made from soybeans,
and Darak, rice
biscuits containing
vitamin B-1, which
prevents beriberi
sickness, during
WWII. She also
assisted in the
smuggling of
thousands of
Filipinos, Americans,
and other nationals
into Japanese-run detention camps. She was the first to bring banana ketchup to
the general audience.
 During World War II, Orosa fought alongside Marking's Guerrillas for the
liberation of the Philippines. During her lifetime, she created over 700 recipes,
including Soyalac and Darak, which saved thousands of lives during WWII. She
also devised a method of canning goods for the guerilla fighters fighting for the
Philippines' independence. Thousands of people would have died in internment
camps, hospitals, and on the streets if it hadn't been for her food inventions.

WHY MARA OROSA E YLAGAN PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

As a food scientist, she sought to reduce the Philippines' dependence on imported

food, pioneering new ways to use local products.

Gregorio Y. Zara
Gregorio Y. Zara, a distinguished scientist and engineer from Southeast
Asia, is best known for his
invention of the videophone,
patented in 1955. Born in
Batangas in 1902, Zara exhibited
a lifelong passion for science and
technology. He obtained his
bachelor’s degree in mechanical
engineering from the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and a Ph.D. in
physics from the University of
Paris. Among his numerous
inventions, the videophone
stands out as a groundbreaking
communication device.

As one of the most widely known Filipino inventors, Zara patented 30

devices. He received the National Scientist Award for his work on various devices
that make communication easier for people.He made a plane engine that ran on
alcohol. This got him a lot of attention in the scientific world.

WHY GREGORIO Y. ZARA PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

Gregorio Zara pursue his career in science because of his dedicated in science and
technology and to his position and works in government.

Benito Vergara
Benito Vergara, a
plant scientist and rice
farmer, grew up in the
Philippines. He is
notable for his work on
the Farmer’s Primer on
Growing Rice. This book
helped revolutionize
rice farming in the
Philippines.

Vergara wrote the text for farmers who wanted to know how best to grow
rice. He designed it to be a teaching tool for those who wanted to know the new
techniques that could help improve their crops.

Benito Vergara not only cataloged different kinds of rice varieties but also
provided instructions on how to grow them.

He earned the title “National Scientist” for his contributions to agriculture

and plant science research. This was the Philippines government’s highest order
in science.

WHY BENITO VERGARA PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

His fascination with plants led him to his decision to pursue agriculture.
 Julian Banzon
Julian Banzon was a Filipino biochemist noted for his research on alternative
fuels. He is also famous for extracting residual coconut oil from the fruit.

Banzon completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of the Philippines

and went on to earn a Ph.D. at Iowa State University.

In 1988, he received the National Scientist Award for his pioneering work
with ethyl esters. Banzon focused on these esters as a renewable energy source
because of their low carbon footprint. Ethyl esters were also easy to produce
from natural resources like coconuts or sugarcane.

Julian Banzon’s research paved the way for future innovations in alternative
fuel sources that could help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels while also
protecting our environment.

WHY JULIAN BANZON PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

Throughout his childhood, Banzon was fascinated with science. Banzon's family
background played an important role in influencing his interest in science. In spite
of his father's encouragement, Banzon's curiosity led him to pursue a career in
chemistry rather than medicine.
 Alexis Belonio
Alexis T. Belonio (born January 1, 1960) is a professor, engineer, scientist,
innovator, and inventor from the Philippines. He was the first Filipino to receive
the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2008 for his invention of a low-cost and
environment friendly rice husk stove. Belonio was included by the Rolex
watchmaking company on its list of 10 model innovators in November 2008. He
serves as the incumbent chair of the Agricultural Engineering and Environmental
Management department of Central Philippine University.

Prolific inventor Alexis Belonio invented a simple, gas-fired stove powered

by rice husks, one of Asia’s most abundant farm by-product wastes. His low-cost,
smoe-free stove for use in homes and cottage industries reduces fuel costs and
minimizes greenhouse gas emissions.

Huge piles of discarded rice husks clutter many farms in Asia. Inventor
Alexis Belonio has found a way to put them to practical use, at the same time as
reducing pollution and saving farmers’ money in the process.
WHY ALEXIS BELONIO PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

Belonio believes that knowledge multiplies when it is shared.

Lilian Pateña
Lilian Pateña is a Filipino
scientist who discovered a breed of
calamansi and seedless pomelo and
discovered micropropagation which
established the banana industry in
the Philippines. She is also an
inventor of leaf-bud cutting in
cassava. She was recognized as one
of The Outstanding Women in the
Nation's Service (TOWNS) in 1998, Women of Distinction for Science and
Technology in 1995, and Outstanding Young Scientist in 1990.

WHY LILIAN PATEÑA PURSUE CAREER IN SCIENCE?

She developed a passion for science likely due to her father being a chemist at the
University of the Philippines.