2019 Oath Taking of the Newly Conferred and Upgraded Scientists

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 2019 Oath Taking of the Newly Conferred and Upgraded Scientists was held on December 16, 2019 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City.  The Oath Taking was hosted by the Scientific Career System (SCS) and the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL).

The SCS is a system of recruitment, career progression, recognition, and reward of scientists in the public service as means of developing a pool of highly qualified and productive scientific personnel.  The system is an effort to uplift personnel in government institutions where the number of higher plantilla positions is limited.  Co-implemented by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) with the CSC Chairman and DOST Secretary serving as Co-chairs of the Scientific Career Council, the SCS program is now administered by the NAST PHL.

Conferred Scientists are ranked to and receive the corresponding salary grade as follows: Scientist I – SG 26; Scientist II –SG 27; Scientist III – SG 28; Scientist IV – SG 29, and Scientist V – SG 30.  Conferred Scientists are also entitled to receive the following support grants: Representation and Travel Allowance; Magna Carta Benefits; Membership in International Scientific Organization and/or subscription to Scientific Journals; Publication Assistance; and Foreign Travel Assistance for oral paper presentation of 3,000USD per SCS Scientist every two years.

Latest evaluation of candidates to the SCS program resolved to confer scientist rank on five researchers and upgrade the rank of two active scientists.  Three of the researchers and one upgraded scientist come from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) of the Department of Agriculture (DA); one, from the Ecosystems and Development Bureau (ERDB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); and two, from the Philippine nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) of DOST.

To take their oath under Agriculture Sciences Discipline are Mr. Edwin C. Martin, Dr. Jonathan M. Niones from Phil Rice, Mr. Sotero S. Resilva from PNRI, Dr. Jose Alan A. Castillo from ERDB; under Social Sciences Discipline is Dr. Jesusa C. Beltran from Philrice; under Engineering and Technology Discipline is Ricardo F. Orge from PhilRice, and Dr. Lucille V. Abad from PNRI under the Natural Sciences Discipline.

With this development, the roster of scientists conferred under the System brings the total number to 172 since the System was institutionalized in 1983 by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.