Press Release
July 27, 2012

KIKO LAUDS FARMER-SCIENTIST FOR RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan lauds agricultural scientist Romulo Davide for being one of the six recipients of the 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Award, also known as "Asia's version of the Nobel Prize."

Davide, according to press reports, is called "the Father of Plant Nematology for his groundbreaking work on nematode pests that weaken and destroy agricultural crops."

According to the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation (RMAF), Davide is being recognized for his "steadfast passion in placing the power and discipline of science in the hands of Filipino farmers, who have consequently multiplied their yields, created productive farming communities, and rediscovered the dignity of their labor."

Of this, Pangilinan says, "We congratulate Mr. Davide for this great honor, and we laud his dedication to his field, which has allowed him to discover an alternative to the highly toxic and expensive chemical pesticides that treat parasitic pests. He has put the needs of our farmers first and has done a great service to the agricultural community."

Pangilinan is chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, and has been advocating for interventions that would empower farmers and increase their incomes. In 2011, he convened agricultural stakeholders in Agriculture and Fisheries 2025; in 2012, he launched with the Department of Agriculture Sagip Saka, an advocacy aimed at modernizing sustainable agriculture by giving agricultural committees access to credit, markets, infrastructure, technology, and research & development.

Davide, meanwhile, was named an "Outstanding Agricultural Scientist" by the Department of Agriculture in 1994, and is currently a professor emeritus at the College of Agriculture of the University of the Philippines Los Banos.

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