MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Thursday conferred the Order of the National Scientist to world-renowned clinical geneticist and pediatrician Dr. Carmencita Padilla for her “varied contributions to medicine especially to the academic growth of genetics in the Philippines.”

The Order of National Scientist Award (Orden ng Gawad ng Pambansang Alagad ng Agham) is the highest national recognition given to an individual of science in the country, administered by the National Academy of Science and Technology.

• National Scientist Dolores Ramirez graces Vogue PH cover

This is conferred by the President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Academy.

In his speech, the President cited Padilla’s contributions and expertise in the field of genetics, saying her research was vital in the crafting and passage of critical health laws such as the Newborn Screening Act of 2004 and the Rare Diseases Act of 2016.

The Newborn Screening Act, he said, saved thousands of Filipino babies from mental retardation and death from certain congenital disorders detectable at birth.

Meanwhile, the Rare Diseases Act of 2016 protects and promotes the right to health of Filipinos, including the right of persons suffering from rare diseases to survive and healthy development as individuals through access to timely health information and adequate medical care.

• Duterte confers National Scientist title to ex-UP president

Marcos, Jr. also recognized Padilla’s role in spearheading the establishment of the Philippine Genome Center, which was at the forefront of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Genome Center “provided the government and the country’s policymakers with the information that we need to better understand the virus and implement measures to limit and manage its spread," said the Chief Executive.

Video from RTVM

The President highlighted the need for government to support the country’s research and development programs, and focus on bringing new technologies to the people.

“Ang pag-develop ng mga new knowledge at bukod doon, hindi sapat na mayroon na tayong magandang research. Marami naman tayong magandang research. Iyong development, doon tayo medyo nagkukulang," Marcos said.

“And that is why I have asked all of those who are involved that we need to now be very conscientious and put together a program wherein we can support in whatever way that the government can on research and development, and as I think all of us know that some of the problems are in the development side,” he continued.

Marcos, Jr. said he asked Padilla to put together a program with the trade, science, and health departments to support “activities… in terms of R&D and of actually bringing that technology to the general populace.”

PADILLA TO PH SCIENTISTS: THERE IS A REASON TO STAY

Padilla joins the ranks of 42 other Filipino national scientists.

She is the first national scientist with an expertise in medical genetics and the only living female national scientist in the field of health sciences.

Padilla said being conferred the national scientist title is a recognition of her work and the work of her research teams.

“I recognize that science and research in the country is really very challenging, and I’d like to look at this award as a recognition of the hard work of my team," Padilla said.

She hoped that her award would show younger researchers the purpose of staying in the Philippines.

“My decades of work and research show that we can do something for the country. There’s a reason to stay, so many of our researchers did if we work together, collaborate and think what is good for the country, then I think that you can make a difference here in the Philippines.”

She also noted the need for government to support Filipino scientists and researchers, and help bring down their work to the community.

“We have the talent, the expertise, and the technology but we need government support. When we do the research and we have the product, we need support… to scale it and then bring it down the community," she said.

"The concern should be how do we bring these research outputs down to the community and we can do it but [we] need support,” she said.