Dr. Nona Marlene B. Ferido is presently the Deputy Director of the Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre, a partnership between the University of the Philippines and the University of Melbourne. Some of her involvements in the Centre are the following: research on the progress of students through the science curriculum with focus on chemistry (Grades 7-10), curriculum review of the Philippine K to12 curriculum, feasibility study on micro-certification for the alternative learning system (ALS) in the Philippines, development and conduct of the professional development (PD) program for science, mathematics and reading teachers on assessment and emerging literacies, and technical support in the review of the Department of Education’s reports on international large-scale assessments such as PISA 2018 and TIMSS 2019.

Dr. Ferido holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from U.P. Diliman and an M.S. Agricultural Chemistry degree from U.P. Los Baños. She completed her Ph.D Science Education (with specialization in Chemistry) from U.P. Diliman. Before her stint at the University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP NISMED), she was a chemistry instructor at the Department of Chemistry, U.P. Los Baños and subsequently an assistant professor at the Institute of Chemistry, U.P. Diliman.

Dr. Ferido is a retired Science Education Specialist V and former Chair of the Chemistry Group of UP NISMED. She served as its Deputy Director for Research and Extension and subsequently as Deputy Director for Administration. She was a researcher, project leader, and coordinator in various science education projects of UP NISMED with UNESCO Bangkok, the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (Japan), Canada-Pakistan Basic Education Project (CPBEP), Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

Dr Ferido has invaluably contributed to the advancement of chemistry education particularly in her (1) key role in the conceptualization and implementation of the K to 12 Science Curriculum of DepEd, specifically the chemistry (Matter) domain, including the STEM strand; (2) intensive research work on aligning teaching methods with the K to 12 science curriculum, (3) designing appropriate curriculum materials, which resulted in the production of teacher resource materials and sourcebooks for teacher trainers and teachers in high school chemistry, and (4) active involvement in training programs for science teachers at the national, regional, and division levels. She was among those who developed the teaching guides and learner materials in Grades 7 and 8 Science based on the K to 12 curriculum that emphasized the key features of inquiry and spiral progression as well as the development of students’ scientific attitudes and values and their understanding and application of scientific knowledge. She was a Project Writer and Trainer for CHED STEM Education Program (2016-2017) tasked to develop a STEM Teacher Training Design and Toolkit for faculty of higher education institutions teaching senior high school.

Dr. Ferido was the recipient of the 2014 UP Diliman Gawad Chancellor Award for Outstanding Research, Extension & Professional Staff and the 2013 Philippine Federation of Chemistry Societies Award for Chemistry Education.

Vivian Azucena-Topor began her teaching career as a Secondary School Teacher at the Iloilo National High School. In 1996, she joined the Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas where she is currently an Associate Professor. She has served as the Director of the Graduate Program Office (GPO) and as Chairperson of the Division of Professional Education of the University of the Philippines Visayas.

Her passion for teaching chemistry led her to develop innovations to make the learning of chemistry fun and interesting. She developed the chemistry games (ChemTrump, ChemSquabble, and ChemFactory) that introduce the students to the language of chemistry and stimulate their interests in the properties of the elements and compounds. She also authored a workbook titled ChemSearch & ChemPuzzle (Ionic Compounds Series) which aims to enhance students’ skills in writing chemical formula and naming ionic compounds.

She pioneered the conduct of the Chemistry Camp for high school students and teachers in Region VI which aims to enhance the teachers’ knowledge and skills in chemistry concepts and experiments, and for the students to experience and appreciate chemistry through simple experiments using ordinary household materials and solutions. Her leadership in spearheading these activities led several students to pursue a degree in Chemistry because they were inspired by the chemistry games, chemistry quiz bee, and laboratory hands-on trainings.

She is a role model and an inspiration to her colleagues in the University. Aside from being excellent in teaching performance, she is also active in research, specifically in cassava cyanogenesis, where she developed the cassava cyanide test kit which finds useful application in food safety. She translated to the community what she teaches inside the classroom when she collaborated with the Department of Agriculture and the Local Government Units of Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Negros Occidental and Iloilo in conducting trainings and seminars about cassava cyanide, cyanide intoxication and the use of the Cassava Cyanide Color Wheel Test Kit. The impact of her contribution to the community was recognized by the Bato Balani Foundation Inc. and Diwa Learning Systems, Inc. where she was awarded the 2016 The Many Faces of a Teacher as the “Community Biochemist.”

She has been granted several certificates of copyright registration and deposit by the National Library of the Philippines for her original works and four Utility Model Registration by the Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL). Her use of indigenous plant pigments as acid-base indicators in laboratory classes has continuously spark her interest on new plant materials, and the collection of the plants screened is showcased in her recent book titled “Beyond the Beautiful Blossoms: the colors, the pH, and the wildflowers’ untapped potentials.” She and her Team produced books and booklets for use by technicians of the Department of Agriculture, cassava farmers and cassava processors.

Currently, Dr. Topor is the President of the Philippine Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology– Western Visayas Chapter; Executive Vice President of the Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers – Region 6; Board of Director of the Integrated Chemist of the Philippines – Panay Chapter, Inc.; and Auditor, Western Visayas Association of Filipino Inventors Inc.

Ms. Erika Eunice Panisales Salvador finished her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, magna cum laude, and Master of Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV). She passed the Chemist Licensure Examination and started teaching at the Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus (PSHSWVC), her high school alma mater. Since then, she has taught Integrated Science, General Chemistry, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Applied Chemistry and Research to the high school scholars of PSHS under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
In her twelve (12) years of service, she has been the Science, Math, and Technology Department Head and the Chemistry and Integrated Science Unit Head, spearheading various school innovations for teaching chemistry as well as student- and teacher-training programs in online and face-to-face platforms for the larger community. She helped write and develop the PSHS K-12 curriculum for Chemistry and the Chemistry Learning Guides for remote and blended learning. She was also the campus coordinator for the Science Immersion Program (SIP), the PSHS internship program for high school, forging partnerships with international, national, and local STEM research agencies through evolving modalities in the pre-, mid-, and post-pandemic years.

Her other endeavors include appearing as guest teacher in Knowledge Channel’s KHub, a high school science television program. During the pandemic, she has produced chemistry lecture videos for public and exclusive viewing on Youtube (Erika’s Class). She was a member of the Board of Directors and chair of the secretariat committee of the Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers Region VI Chapter, Inc. (PACT-R6). She continues to write science textbooks for high school students in the post-pandemic set-up.

She received the Outstanding Award for Presentation in Congress as Teacher Advisor during the 10th Regional Congress: Search for SEAMEO Young Scientists in Penang, Malaysia. In 2021, she was awarded the Cleofe M. Bacungan Natatanging Guro Award for the Natural Sciences Cluster by the PSHS Foundation, Inc. Ms. Salvador continues to improve her knowledge and skills through post-graduate studies and ensuring the sustainability of her existing innovations.

Dr. Nelson Ramirez Villarante is currently a full-time professor in the Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics at the College of Arts and Sciences. He began his research training during his undergraduate degree in chemistry, extracting natural products from various plants and assessing their antimicrobial properties. After completing his undergraduate program at Silliman University, he decided to stay in the academe and share his knowledge and skills with students through teaching and research. As a result of his outstanding research on the phytochemical components of plant extracts, he was chosen as one of the five finalists in the ASEAN Talent Search for Young Scientists in 1988. His research skills and training have expanded further after he decided to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and had the opportunity—as an exchange student—to accomplish his dissertation on the biodegradation of chlorinated compounds at Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of Technology in the United States of America. Furthermore, his passion for research and his excellent academic record and research training landed him a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan where he specialized both in the synthesis of organic chemical compounds and in photochemistry. His 30 years in the University of the Philippines Manila has transformed him into not only an excellent adviser and professor, but also into a dedicated and top-notch researcher. Despite the limited resources, equipment, and infrastructure for doing research, Dr. Villarante persisted, persevered, and pressed on with his passion and life-long goal of performing relevant and transformative chemical research. His dedication to research and his determination to help humanity are reflected in his body of research work, which includes the synthesis of drugs, synthesis of green solvents such as Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents, alternative energy from biowaste materials, and waste management. Because of his dedication to research, he was inducted as a regular member of the National Research Council of the Philippines, our country’s foremost and most prestigious scientific organization. He also was hired as a technical consultant to SBS Philippines Corporation, one of the largest chemical distribution companies in the country. He is a regular member of the DOST-PCIEERD proposal technical review panel; reviewing high-budgeted proposals which range from 5-30 million pesos. Occasionally, he is invited as a reviewer of NIH proposals as well. Due to his expertise in environmental research and organic synthesis, he was invited as an editorial board member in an ISI journal and as a reviewer in various scientific publications, such as the Oriental Journal of Chemistry, Philippine Journal of Science, Manila Science Journal, Philippine Journal of Health Research and Development, and Material Science India.

Dr. Villarante earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Notably, he has been a consistent academic scholar for two years during his doctoral program. Dr. Villarante, who came from a humble beginning, was a recipient of numerous scholarships and awards — the Department of Science and Technology-Engineering and Science Education Program Scholarship (DOST-ESEP), Benedicto Professorial Chair Award, Centennial Faculty Grant Award for Research, One UP Professorial Chair Award, and International Publication Awards.
Despite the financially rewarding job opportunities in the industry and in the business sectors, Dr. Villarante has decided to stay in the academe and has been actively doing several research collaborations. His interest in the removal of heavy metals, dyes, and chlorinated compounds from laboratory and hospital wastewater samples using activated carbon from biowaste materials, utilization of green solvents in the synthesis of drugs, and synthesis of biofuel from feedstocks resulted in publications in ISI/Scopus journals. His research work also has been accepted for presentation in local and international conferences. Because of his dedication to research, Dr. Villarante is recognized as University Scientist of the University of the Philippines.

That Dr. Villarante’s undergraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral studies have equipped him with a formidable background in fundamental and applied research and that—as evidenced by his great body of scientific work—he employed his knowledge and skills as a researcher to the fullest extent possible are beyond question.

Thus, for his expertise in the field of pollution control, energy sustainability, and drug synthesis; for his awareness of both his social and environmental responsibilities as a researcher; for his productive scientific outputs and sterling research experiences; and most of all, for his honesty, integrity, and steadfast and unrelenting dedication and passion for quality research, it is with great pride and honor to present Dr. Nelson R. Villarante as the recipient of this year’s PFCS Outstanding Achievement Award in Chemical Research.

Richard Cruz is a registered chemist who graduated from the Central Luzon State University in Munoz, Nueva Ecija. He is also a graduate of the Management Development Program (MDP) from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). He is the current Vice President of Safety, Health, Environment and Security (SHES) of Aboitiz Power, one of the Philippine’s largest power producers and the country’s leading provider of renewable energy. In his current role, he is mainly responsible for maintaining and transforming SHES systems for the safety and welbeing of more than 3,000 employees, around 4,700 contractors, the environment and communities where the company operates in, while developing programs that contribute to the company’s thrust for sustainability.

Prior to being in the power industry, Richard served 13 years in the country’s leading cement manufacturer, Holcim Philippines where he started out as a laboratory engineer, establishing a laboratory testing regime for alternative fuels and raw materials that are substituted for traditional coal fuel which greatly reduces green house gas emissions. He later took on roles in health and safety where he eventually became the Vice President for Health, Safety, Environment and Security. During his term, the company attained 3 years without a single on-site work related fatality, around 32 million kilometers of zero road-related fatalities and unprecendented achievements in the field of health and safety. He also served as the chairman of the Cement Manufacturing Association of the Philippine’s (CEMAP) Sub-Committee on Health and Safety and Holcim Philippine’s Country Resilience Lead, helping the company navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic while protecting the health of about 6,000 employees and contractors. He also has extensive experience in the testing and assurance space, having previously worked as a laboratory supervisor for SGS, Subic Bay Inc., where he gained valuable know-how of the chemical properties of petroleum products.

Over the course of his career, Richard has attained international and local certifications such as the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH), International General Certificate in Health and Safety, International Safety Rating System (ISRS) auditing and Certified Security Professional.