'Father of Plant Nematology' declared 44th national scientist

MANILA, Philippines — Agricultural scientist Romulo Gelbolingo Davide, whose work of digging deep into the world of microscopic worms has bore fruit for scores of Filipino farmers, has been conferred the title of national scientist — the 44th in the country's history.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. bestowed Davide with the rank of national scientist through Proclamation No. 643, signed on August 2 and published on Thursday.

Davide was recognized for his pioneering work the field of nematology and plant pathology, which led to the development of a biological control for nematodes (roundworms) that offered Filipino farmers a safer alternative to chemical nematicides.

Regarded as the Philippines' "Father of Plant Nematology," Davide was also one of six winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards in 2012. In his award citation, the scientist was honored for having used "the tools of science and a great reserve of social empathy" to benefit farmers.

Davide was also conferred a Volunteer Lifetime Achievement award by the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency in 2019 for his "lifelong commitment to [empowering] poor farmers nationwide" through a program that trained farmers in agricultural technologies to increase yields and production. 

The government's main agency for promoting volunteer programs profiled Davide as a scientist whose dedication to improving Filipino farmers' lives were deeply rooted in his childhood experience of growing up in an agricultural area dozens of kilometers away from the city.

"He tilled the land along with his father siblings and to make ends meet, but however they strive, they along with the farmers around them remain challenged with poor harvest," the agency wrote in its profile of Davide when he won the 2019 award. 

"This motivated him to dream of seeking higher education and hoping to come back one day to his hometown armed with the knowledge and expertise of improving crop production," it added.

Davide "worked as a janitor to finance his education" at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree in 1957.

He then pursued further studies for his Master of