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The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) supports Filipino
scientists and inventors whose achievements in all aspects of
innovation give honor to the Philippines. Alberto Robles and Yasmin
Espiritu are living legends who live their dream while helping the
society through science and technology.
Robles’ expertise in the feeding and managing
of dairy animals has helped in the Philippine dairies’ achievement
of success and profitability.
According to Robles, the nutrient requirement
for maintenance, growth, reproduction and lactation are essential to
keep animals healthy.
Born on September 4, 1943, at Balayan, Batangas,
Robles is the youngest among the nine children of Domingo and
Marcelina Robles. The younger Robles finished his BS in Chemistry at
Adamson University in 1964. He served as a trainee for a few months
at the National Institute of Science and Technology and joined the
Dairy Training and Research Institute in 1965 as junior animal
product technologist.
He was awarded a six-month Food and Agriculture
Organization fellowship in Dairy Cattle Nutrition in 1966 at Lawes,
Commonwealth Scientific Institute and Research Organization in
Queensland, Australia. Included in the fellowship is participation
in the three months training offered by the Department of External
Affair, Queensland, Australia, entitled “Third Pasture Management
Short Course.”
He pursued graduate studies at the University of
the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB), under the faculty privilege and
reduced fee program of staff development while connected at the
Dairy Training and Research Institute. He obtained his MS in Animal
Science, majoring in Animal Nutrition and minoring in Biochemistry
in 1971.
He was awarded by a Graduate Research
Assistantship in 1972 at the University of Missouri, Columbia Campus
and obtained a PhD in Nutrition in 1977 with specialization in
Ruminant Nutrition and Dairy Production.
He served as director from 1980 to 1986 and a
team leader for five years with the National Dairy Commodity of the
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources
Research and Development. For 12 years, he was Diploma Program
Coordinator in the College of Agriculture, UPLB. He was for eight
years coordinator of the Agriculture and Technology Education
Project. He served as a National Team Leader of the Livestock and
Poultry Network in the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the
Department of Agriculture.
He has written 70 articles as an author and
co-author in both national and international publications and served
as a major adviser to more than 30 BS, 15 MS and 10 PhD students.
In 2004, Robles was certified as an
agriculturist and as a ruminant nutritionist and earned Balik
Scientist Awardee by the DOST in 1977.
Yasmin “Peachy” Espiritu is an award-winning
inventor like her husband, Virgilio “Billy” Malang.
On May 30, 2008, in the awards night at
Seoul’s First Korea International Women’s Invention Exposition,
Espiritu felt the daunting pressure to bring home the bacon. She has
traveled the long and winding road of the inventor who wants to
change the world.
“I’ve very good entries,” she said of her
entries inspired by her experience as a ward nurse at the Chinese
General Hospital in Manila. Espiritu is also a registered
pharmacist. Her knack for superlatives is tolerated by those who see
her technologies at work. If the technologies weren’t so unique,
she would have been passed up for a plane ticket and exhibit boot
financing by International Federation of Inventor Association. Her
entries worked and were most perfect medal-grabbing machines in COEX.
Her devices have it all. She was an inventor long overdue for the
important world competition event participated by some 450
inventions from 28 countries and held under the patronage of the
Korean government.
There was hysteric joy when the announcers
called her name as the gold medal winner for her “Light-Refracting
Earpick,” silver medal for “P. Guajava Effervescing Vaginal
Tablet,” silver medal for “Lollipop Fortified with
Multivitamins” and bronze medal for “External Vaginal
Cleanser.”
Espiritu struggled to put into words the thrill
of winning her second major solo win, the first at Seoul since a
Technology Application and Promotion Institute delegation’s
victory in 2003.
“It’s a minimal achievement,” said the
jubilant 50-something member of Manila Innovation Development
Society, Inc., “But minimal achievement is practically in my life
mission statement under the heading of lofty goals. It’s something
I’ve dreamt about for a long time and worked very hard for. It’s
a thrill and tough for me to put into words because I wouldn’t do
it justice. It’s difficult to grasp right now, but I know it’s
pretty special, that’s for sure.”
Beside Espiritu was Department of Science and
Technology Undersecretary for Regional Operations Carol Yorobe who
was the guest speaker.
“I gave it my all,” said Espiritu, who is a
co-winner of 10 National Inventor’s Week awards and co-patentee
for five major inventions at the 2002 Seoul International Inventions
Fair. “That’s all you can ask for. I take a lot from this event,
no question about it. I hope to draw on this experience for a long
time coming. That was one of my goals a few years ago, to be a
competitor in the majors and this day proved to me I can do some
great stuff.”
She has three intellectual property registered
inventions and 18 as co-patentee. Espiritu is the vice president and
manufacturing pharmacist of Humana Pharmaceuticals.
-- Yen Ocampo, S & T Media Service
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