The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) romped off various awards during the Philippine Society of Animal Science (PSAS) 54th Scientific Seminar and Annual Convention held at Bayfront Hotel Cebu, Cebu City last October 18-21.
Dr. Arnel N. del Barrio, PCC-Executive Director, received the 2017 PSAS Distinguished Fellow, which is the highest award being bestowed by the PSAS, while Dr. Gundolino P. Bajenting of the PCC at Ubay Stock Farm was handed the 2017 PSAS-Advira Trading Corporation award as an Outstanding Farm Manager.
Other PCC personnel were bestowed top awards during the event for their oral and scientific poster presentations.
The “Best Scientific Oral Presentation for the Breeding and Genetics” award was given to Alexander M. Paraguas with the topic “Morphological and phylogenetic analysis as tools for conservation and management of swamp buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Calayan Island”. The other authors of the study were Therese Patricka C. Cailipan, Ester B. Flores, and Lilian P. Villamor.
The “Best Scientific Oral Presentation for the Biotechnology-Reproduction Award” was given to Excel Rio S. Maylem for the study “Thermotolerance identification in water buffalo using heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and its effect to semen quality in varying environmental conditions”. Her co-authors were Shanemae M. Rivera, Eufrocina P. Atabay, Edwin C. Atabay, and Emma V. Venturina.
The “Best Scientific Poster Presentation” was awarded to Alfred D. Sayson, Efurocina P. Atabay, Ma. Elizabeth C. Leoveras, Edwin C. Atabay, and Excel Rio S. Maylem for their poster titled “Defining the culture medium for the production of cattle embryos (Bos Taurus) for cryopreservation by vitrication method”.
In the election for the governing council members and PSAS chapter officers for 2018, PCC’s Dr. Ester B. Flores of the Animal Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit was elected vice president (and automatic incoming president after next year’s convention).
The participation of 82 PCC researchers during the PSAS provided them opportunities to present the current researches on buffaloes and other livestock and paved the way to inspire them to fulfill the vision of the agency to be the premiere livestock researcher institute in the country.
The theme of the scientific seminar and convention was “Animal Productivity and Food Safety: Enhancing Safe and Healthy Animal-Based Products”.
