The University of the Philippines Los Baños Alumni Association (UPLBAA) has conferred the Multi-Generation UPLB Alumni Award to the family of Dr. Glenn Gregorio, director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).
According to the UPLBAA, this special recognition is bestowed on families who have produced three or more successive generations of exemplary UPLB alumni in their respective fields.
The Gregorio family with three generations of UPLB graduates is one of the recipients of the said award.
They are the late Dr. Rizalino Gregorio (BS Agriculture in honor curriculum, 1958; MS Agricultural Engineering, 1972); his son Dr. Glenn Gregorio (BS Agriculture, 1986; MS Plant Breeding, 1991; Ph.D. Genetics, 1997) and daughter-in-law Myla Beatriz Gregorio (BS Sugar Technology, 1989; MS Biochemistry, 1995); and grandchildren Michaia Bea Gregorio-Tamago (BA Communication Arts, 2016 cum laude), Phoebe Liwai Gregorio (BS Civil Engineering, 2020), and Patricia Lois Gregorio (BA Communication Arts, 2022 magna cum laude).
From 1954 to 1962, the late elder Gregorio worked at UPLB, starting as student assistant and was hired as research assistant and assistant instructor after graduation. He then transferred to Central Mindanao University (CMU) as instructor and rose to professor 6 at the College of Engineering where he also became the dean in 1978 after completing his Ph.D. degree in Agricultural Engineering at Purdue University. From 1985 to 1986, he became the CMU vice president and vice president for administration and officer-in-charge president from 1987 to 1988 before his retirement after serving the government for 48 years.
A professor at the UPLB College of Agriculture and Food Science and Academician at the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Philippines, the younger Gregorio is also the current chairman of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Technical Panel for Agriculture and steering committee member of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA)-Biotechnology Program.
In 2021, he was named one of the United Nations Food Systems Champions and Filipino Faces of Biotechnology. Dr. Gregorio has a highly decorated career and is a respected scientist who has published more than 120 scientific journals, book chapters, policy papers, and manuals.
Among his numerous awards are Ten Outstanding Youth Scientists of the Philippines (TOYS), Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS) in the field of Genetics, Honorary Foreign Scientist of the Rural Development Administration of Korea, The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Philippines, Ho Chi Minh Medal award for "Having Great Contribution to the cause of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam."
Dr. Gregorio is also an agri-entrepreneur, farmer, and co-founder of Binhi Inc., an agri-research start-up company on micropropagation and seed business.
Sharing the second generation spot with Dr. Gregorio is his wife Myla Beatriz Audije who worked at the UPLB National Institute of Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology before becoming a stay-at-home mom in 1997, homeschooling their six children. To augment her role as a breastfeeding advocate, she is now pursuing her Ph.D. in Human Nutrition.
Three of Gregorio's daughters comprised the third generation awardees.
Myla graduated cum laude with a BA Communication Arts degree in 2016 and served as project staff at the UPLB Technology Transfer and Business Development Office between 2018 and 2021 and is currently a freelancer in 2018-2021; Phoebe Liwai, a licensed civil engineer, is currently an instructor at the UPLB College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology; and Patricia Lois, graduated magna cum laude with a BA Communication Arts degree in August 2022.
The Multi-Generation UPLB Alumni Award was conferred on Oct. 8, 2022 during the 104th Loyalty Day and Alumni Homecoming: Strengthening the Partnership between UPLB and Alumni for Progressive Communities.
Dr. Fernando Sanchez Jr., SEARCA governing board chair (2016-2018); Dr. Djuara Lubis, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)-SEARCA scholar; Dr. Ericson Dela Cruz, Philippine Carabao Center (PCC)-SEARCA scholar; and Forester Eriberto Saños and Dethsackda Manikham, who are SEARCA alumni, were among the UPLBAA awardees.