UP MSI scientists garner major recognitions at 2026 NAST Awards
FEATURED PHOTO. The UP Marine Science Institute at the 2026 NAST Awards. BACK ROW: Professor Emeritus Acd. Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez, Professor Emeritus Acd. Gisela Concepcion, Retired Professor Acd. Marco Nemesio Montaño, Research Professor Acd. Michael Roleda, Adjunct Professor Acd. Wilfredo Licuanan, Professor Emeritus National Scientist Lourdes Cruz, Professor Emeritus Acd. Cesar Villanoy, Professor Emeritus Acd. Rhodora Azanza, Retired Professor Acd. Gil Jacinto, Professor Dr. Rachel June Ravago-Gotanco, Associate Professor Dr. Wilfred John Santiañez, Professor Dr. Laura David, and Research Professor Acd. Fernando Siringan; FRONT ROW: Professor Dr. Irene Rodriguez, Research Professor Dr. Deo Florence Onda, Assistant Professor Dr. Iris Orizar, Professor Dr. Eizadora Yu, alumnus Dr. Paul Caesar Flores, and Assistant Professor Dr. Charina Lyn Amedo-Repollo.
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES — Several faculty members of the UP Marine Science Institute were honored at the 2026 National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Awards. With a new Academician, an Outstanding Young Scientist, and Environmental Science Awardee, as well as recognitions for Outstanding Scientific Paper and Outstanding Book and/or Monograph, this marks another year of academic excellence in marine science and conservation.
The awarding ceremony was held during July 9, 2026 as the culminating event for the NAST 48th Annual Scientific Meeting, held under the theme “UN SDGs: Science, Technology, and Innovation for Sustainable Development.”
NAST welcomed UP MSI Research Professor Dr. Michael Roleda among its ranks as one of the body’s newest Academicians. He is recognized for over 30 years of experience in Philippine and international phycology. As the principal investigator of the Algal Ecophysiology Laboratory, he leads projects that advance understanding of the biology, environmental adaptation, and industrial applications of microalgae and macroalgae.
His work focuses heavily on the major carrageenan-producing seaweeds of the Philippine seaweed industry such as Kappaphycus and Eucheuma, emphasizing biodiversity conservation, domestication, climate resilience, and sustainable crop production. Among his major achievements is the sustainable maintenance of historical and new collections of over 200 unique seaweed strains deposited at the revived Seaweed Culture Laboratory and Gene Bank: where these collections are assessed for genetic traits that can support a more productive and more resilient seaweed industry. In 2025, he spearheaded the organizing committee for the 13th International Phycological Congress held in Panglao, Bohol and hosted by UP Diliman.
The Institute’s contributions to Philippine phycology were further commended with the honoring of UP MSI Associate Professor Dr. Wilfred John Santiañez as an Outstanding Young Scientist for his work in natural history sciences.
As the most prolific Filipino seaweed taxonomist of his generation, he has performed extensive and innovative work in molecular-based biodiversity and systematics research on seaweeds. To date, he has described a new seaweed tribe, eight new seaweed genera, four new seaweed species, and reclassified 31 seaweed taxa from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Many of these discoveries are preserved in the UP Marine Macroalgal Reference Culture Collection, a biobank of over 500 seaweed genetic resources established and managed by Dr. Santiañez that houses specimens representing either new records to the Philippines or putative new genera and species. This work is complemented by his curatorship of the Gregorio T. Velasquez Phycological Herbarium, the largest collection of marine plants in Southeast Asia.
UP MSI Professor Dr. Rachel June Ravago-Gotanco was conferred the Environmental Science Award in recognition of her pioneering efforts to integrate molecular biology, population genomics, and bioinformatics for the strategic and sustainable management of marine fisheries resources.
Her winning paper, “Complex patterns of genetic structure in the sea cucumber Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra from the Philippines: implications for aquaculture and fishery management”, is an in-depth genomic analysis of 16 wild populations of the commercially important sea cucumber Holuthuria scabra from the country’s marine biogeographic regions. Using an integrative approach that combines high-throughput DNA sequencing and hydrodynamic particle dispersal modeling, Dr. Gotanco and her collaborators were able to delineate genetic stocks and infer how environmental factors drive genetic diversity and adaptation.
Three publications also received recognition through the awards for Outstanding Scientific Paper and Outstanding Book and/or Monograph.
The winning papers are “Manzaea minuta gen. & comb. nov. (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae) from the tropical Northwestern Pacific Ocean” by Dr. Wilfred John Santiañez and Dr. Kazuhiro Kogame of Hokkaido University, and “Local tide and geoid corrections significantly improve coastal retracked Jason Sea surface heights in the Philippines” by alumnus Dr. Paul Caesar Flores and UP MSI Assistant Professor Dr. Charina Lyn Amedo-Repollo, in collaboration with Dr. Rosalie Reyes, Abegail Rediang, Rey Mark Alfante, Ma. Divina Angela Bauzon, and Nikki Pasaje of the UP Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry and Engr. Dennis Bringas of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.
The discovery of Manzaea minuta establishes a new genus that honors the late Dr. Artemio V. Manza, who is among the most eminent names in the history of Philippine phycology, and represents a significant step forward in clarifying tropical seaweed taxonomy using molecular-assisted approaches.
Meanwhile, the correction of satellite-based global datasets with actual observations from Philippine tide gauges improves the accuracy of altimetric estimations of sea surface heights, which can be integrated further into studies for vertical land movement and sea level rise.
“The West Philippine Sea: State of the Coasts”, edited by UP MSI Professor Emeritus Dr. Porfirio Aliño, former MSI faculty member and now UP Cebu Associate Professor Dr. Hazel Arceo, former UP MSI researcher Mary Joyce Velos, and longtime collaborator Atty. Aleta Nuñez, was given a Special Citation for the Outstanding Book and/or Monograph Award.
This overview of the current state of the coastal and marine environment in the West Philippine Sea is a massive collaboration that represents the work of several laboratories of the Institute and our partners from UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Cebu, UP Mindanao, Western Philippines University, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, and USAID Fish Right. It includes detailed information on the coral reefs, fisheries, and various aspects of coastal resource management initiatives in 14 localities in the region.
Additionally, the UP Marine Science Institute participated in the conduct of the 48th Annual Scientific Meeting’s plenary sessions. Retired faculty member Acd. Marco Nemesio Montaño was the speaker for Plenary Session 5: Urban and Peri-Urban Development. This was followed by UP MSI Professor Dr. Laura David as the speaker for Plenary Session 6: Global Environmental Commons, together with adjunct professor Acd. Wilfredo Licuanan as the moderator and alumnus Dr. Garry Benico as the session’s rapporteur.
The Professors Emeriti of the Institute were also featured in the closing ceremony, with National Scientist Lourdes Cruz presenting the NAST Resolutions, Acd. Rhodora Azanza presenting the Environmental Science Award, and Acd. Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez presenting the Outstanding Young Scientist Award.
The UP Marine Science Institute is grateful to continue receiving recognition from the nation’s premier scientific advisory and recognition body. Congratulations to all our scientists!