The Class of 2010

There were no superstar entertainers, politicians or billionaire alumni at the commencement exercises of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Science in Diliman last Friday.

The commencement speaker was UP history professor Maria Serena Diokno, one of the daughters of the late Jose Diokno.

A special award was given to National Scientist Lourdes Jansuy Cruz, a biochemist and marine scientist, who bested some 1,000 nominees worldwide and became the first Filipino to receive (together with four scientists from other countries) this year’s L’Oreal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science.

The award, given at UNESCO headquarters in Paris last month, carries a $100,000 prize, which Cruz plans to invest in a piece of land for her rural livelihood incubator program for Aetas. The UNESCO award also cited her work with indigenous communities.

An 18-member awards panel headed by the 1999 Nobel Prize winner for Physiology or Medicine, Günter Blobel of Germany, recognized Cruz’s work on toxic peptides from marine snails. Her research is now being used to produce an alternative to morphine, without the side effects.

Although the prestigious award is for groundbreaking work in a field where Filipinos are supposed to be weak, and even if Cruz is a National Scientist, she is not a household name in this country. There were no parades to welcome her upon her return from Paris. Politicians did not line up to be photographed with her, and there has been no rush among big businessmen to provide more funding for her research. 

Boxing is easier to comprehend. Even the con game we call politics is easier to comprehend. Both fields bring vast wealth and fame to those who excel in them. We can be sure that among the Filipino youth, those who dream of becoming the next Manny Pacquiao or a mayor or congressman outnumber by a wide margin those dreaming of a career studying marine snails.

That thought made me all the more impressed with the Class of 2010 in the UP College of Science, which has nine degree-granting institutes and a research facility.

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Opening the 27th commencement exercises of the college at the UP Theater last Friday, Dean Caesar Saloma pointed out that the country “needs new scientific knowledge to compete in a global economy... where new ideas, not low prices give the competitive edge.”

The college is housed in the country’s lone national science complex, built with a funding of P1.7 billion appropriated in 2006, 2008 and 2009. The facility provides research and development support in basic and applied sciences to small and medium enterprises, non-government organizations and others, helping in product improvement through technical leadership.

Of some 69,200 students who took the UP College Admission Test for school year 2009-2010, only 380 were accepted into the College of Science.

Watching the graduation in this college can give a UP Journalism graduate like me, who nearly flunked Math 11, an inferiority complex. There was a long list of honor graduates in most of the nine institutes including the School of Mathematics.

It was also interesting to note that there were many girls among the Geology graduates, including the magna cum laude and three cum laudes, one of whom wore an Islamic veil.

Another Muslim girl was one of 10 magna cum laudes in the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, which has two summa cum laudes this year.

I was there for one of the two, my niece Isabella. One of UP Diliman’s 25 summas for 2010, she is the valedictorian in molecular biology as well as the entire College of Science (and commencement speaker). Growing up she found it amusing to be called a nerd. My cell phone contains photos of food; hers has photos of cross-sections of insects under a microscope. She was grade school valedictorian at OB Montessori, and again valedictorian of her batch at the Philippine Science High School.

Scientists are not humorless bores. The Geology dean described his school’s graduates as “down to earth.” Another dean said the School of Mathematics has been providing “100 years of scholarship, and still counting.”

Perhaps careers in science just need a bit of repackaging. Elsewhere computer geeks are considered sexy. I must admit it’s also partly mass media’s fault, for failing to play up Filipino achievements in science, technology and mathematics.

So far Isabella hasn’t shown any indication that she is being lured by a more glamorous, exciting or potentially more profitable calling. She hopes to be an oncologist.

She looks like the type, together with many of the other science graduates, who can accept the challenge hurled by Maris Diokno: “Dare to be and dare to do” - not just for themselves and their loved ones but for the rest of humanity.

Diokno reminded Batch 2010 that Filipinos their age or a bit older led the country’s movement for independence. She urged the graduates to develop their internal drive, to “go against the default mode” and change society.

UP being UP, the speech included a political message, with Diokno hitting President Arroyo for “Hello, Garci” and admonishing the graduates to be ready to account for their actions. She stressed that it is “inhuman and immoral” not to take action in the face of illegal acts, and that “if you are part of the cause, you can be part of the solution.”

“You are beneficiaries of another generation’s struggle for freedom you now enjoy,” Diokno reminded the graduates. “Make the world better. Infinitely better.”

Seeing the members of Batch 2010, enjoying hard work and looking ready for more, I felt optimistic about the country’s future. These are graduates we badly need.