On 8 December 2023, the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), Division of Biological Sciences (V) organized its first Scientific Session in partnership with the SLU Biology Department and Fr. Braeckman Museum of Natural History (BMNH). Conducted as a hybrid session, face-to-face participants gathered at the Saint Louis University (SLU) Braeckman Museum for the research presentations in line with the theme “Achieving a Healthy and Sustainable Future Among Filipinos Through Plant Food and Nutrition Research in the Philippines”.
Dr. Richel La Madrid, Director of SLU’s University Research and Innovation Center (UNRIC) warmly welcomed the participants of the scientific session cum business meeting.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jay P. Picardal, regular member of NCRP’s Division V and who served as the Master of Ceremonies and Session Moderator encouraged the participants to pursue research collaborations to promote plant resources in the country and maximize benefits obtained from the same.
Thereafter, esteemed specialists presented their research in three sessions. In Session 1, Mark Christian Felipe R. Redillas, PhD, Professor of De La Salle University, focused on Recent Advances in Crop Biofortification.
Session 2 tackled Functional LAB (lactic acid bacteria) from Philippine fermented foods through the research discussion of Francisco B. Elegado, D.Agr., who is the Chair of the Section of Food Nutrition Research, and Research Professor 12 / UP Scientist II of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
For Session 3, Racquel C. Barcelo, PhD, gave a comprehensive presentation on the Survey and Documentation of Selected Processed Food Plants in Benguet. Dr. Barcelo is the Chair of the Section of Plant Biology, the Curator of the Braeckman Museum of Natural History, and a Professor at SLU.
“Ethnobotany,” Dr. Barcelo said, “is a key to understanding our culture and discovering plant treasures towards a healthy and sustainable future.” This study spanning ten years created a baseline knowledge of the plant resources of the Cordillera. She stated that the future directions of Division V’s (Section of Plant Biology) research are:
- to improve public awareness about the importance of wild food plants to address food insecurity through research-based community engagement;
- to establish partnerships with local farmers and Micro- Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to aid in their livelihood projects through improving food products for health and economic purposes;
- to promote the use and sustainable consumption and strategic cultivation of native food plants at community gardens with the support of Local Government Units through ordinances on Food Plant Gardening and buying and supporting local; and
- to explore the health potential benefits from wild food plants as functional foods.
After the research presentations, an open forum was conducted where researchers and participants engaged in an enriching conversation about the topics discussed. Dr. Marian P. De Leon, the Chair of the Division of Biological Sciences of NRCP then facilitated the Awarding of Certificates for the research presenters.
In the closing remarks, Dr. Bernardo N. Sepeda, NRCP Executive Director III, expressed that engaging in research focused on sustainable food resources answers the basic human need, the need to eat, stressing the importance of sustainable and nutrient-rich food for optimal health.
Prompted by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger that aims to seek sustainable solutions to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to achieve food security, each of the research presentations stressed the importance of good-quality sustainable food system that emphasizes the importance of better access to food, as well as the promotion of sustainable local agriculture.
After the Scientific Sessions, the program proceeded with the business meeting followed by an NRCP membership orientation.
