Written By:
Gil M. Penuliar, PhD, CBO
Public Relations Officer
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PSM News Letter July 2020
The Philippine Society for Microbiology, Inc. successfully held its 48th PSM Annual Convention and Scientific Meeting at the Clark Marriott Hotel in Mabalacat, Pampanga last July 18-19, 2019. With the theme Promoting One Health through Microbiology Education, Research and Practice, the event was attended by more than 200 participants, foreign guests and speakers from Switzerland, Thailand, United States of America, and Japan.
The opening ceremonies started with the processional of PSM Board Officers and PSM past-presidents, members of the Philippine Academy of Microbiology and guest speakers. Participants were welcomed by Dr. Leslie Michelle M. Dalmacio, President of the Philippine Society for Microbiology, Inc., who also introduced the Keynote Speaker, Dr. Bernadette L. Ramirez from the World Health Organization. This was
followed by the opening of the Trade Exhibits and Poster Presentation.
The first Plenary Lecture was delivered by Dr. Mary Joy N. Gordoncillo, from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, entitled Addressing Zoonoses and Antimicrobial Resistance at the HumanAnimal-Ecosystems Interface: Global and Regional Perspectives on One Health, while
the second Plenary Lecture was given by Dr. Raul V. Destura from the University of the
Philippines Manila. Dr. Destura talked about the Biosecurity and Biosafety Aspect of the
One Health Initiative.
Winners of the PSM awards were announced by Dr. Veronica P. Migo, Immediate Past President of PSM and Chair of the Awards Committee. The Outstanding Microbiologist Award was awarded to Dr. Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz, Professor of Microbiology from the University of Santo Tomas, while the William L. Fernandez Award for Excellence in Teaching Microbiology was awarded to Dr. Rina B. Opulencia, Assistant Professor from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Dr. Elizabeth C. Conde received the PSM Outstanding Service Award for the Individual Category, while Ateneo de Manila University
received the PSM Outstanding Service Award for the Institutional Category. The awarding ceremony was followed by the Outstanding Microbiologist’s Lecture of Dr. Dela Cruz.
Swine Farms in Luzon, Philippines in 2017 by Mr. Saubel Ezrael A. Salamat. The first day of the convention ended with the Business Meeting and General Assembly, which was followed by theFellowship Dinner.
The DIRECTOR’S CUT: Institutional Researches in Microbiology opened the second day of the convention, and featured four lectures from Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-Dela Paz, Executive Director
of UP Manila-National Institutes of Health, Dr. Franco G. Teves, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the Mindanao State University, Dr. Ma. Anita M. Bautista, Laboratory Manager of PGCShared Genomics Core Laboratory, and Dr. Yolanda A. Ilagan, Director of the Cavite State University Research Center. These talks were followed by the μ TALK which featured the talks of Dr. Melvin J. Sanicas of Takeda Pharmaceuticals International, and Dr. Nina G. Gloriani of the University of the Philippines Manila.
Ten papers were delivered during the Technical Session. Papers delivered for Cluster 1 were Antibiotics from Plants: Herbal Medicines as a Promising Solution in the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance by Dr. Cecilia C. Maramba-Lazarte of the UP Manila, Capacity Building Towards Sustainability in the Teaching of Microbiology Courses in the Philippines by Dr. Noel G. Sabino of UP Los Baños, NaCl – Induced
Production of a Cell Membrane Disrupting Antibiotic from a Philippine Marine SedimentsDerived Streptomyces Isolate by Ms. Melissa June Paderog of the University of San Agustin,
Metagenomic Profiling of Gut Microbiome in the Risk of Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery
Disease by Dr. Mark Joseph M. Abaca of UP Manila; and Surveillance of Leptospirosis amongAnimals in Iloilo Province, Philippines by Dr.Sharon Yvette Angelina M. Villanueva of UPManila. The papers presented for Cluster 2 were First and Last Contact: The role of Microbes on the Fate of Plastics in the Marine Environment by Dr.Deo Florence L. Onda of the Marine Science Institute, UP Diliman; Microbial Respiration in Agricultural Fields Contaminated by Copper-Rich Mine Tailings for more than Two Decades by Dr. Charina Gracia B. Banaay of UP Los Baños; Prokaryotic Community Structure and Enrichment of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria for Potential Use in Bioremediation from the Sediments of Taal Volcano, Batangas, Philippines by Marian Jean T. Panganiban of UP Los Baños; Cyclodextrin Glucanotransferase from Bacillus lehensis Isolated from Manleluag Hyperalkaline Spring in Pangasinan, Philippines by Ms. Eula Francia M. Bosito of UP Los Baños; and Library-dependent Microbial Source Tracking (MST) In Laguna Lake, Philippines by Ms. Nicole R. Bolo of UP Diliman
Papers which received the ISME Young Researcher’s Grant Award were Characterization of Rice Blast Fungus [Magnaporthe oryzae (Cavara) B. Couch]-Induced Hypersensitive Response-Related Programmed Cell Death in
Lesion Mimic Mutant Rice (Oryza sativa L.) by Mr. Joseph Martin of UP Los Baños and Diversity of Bacteria in Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Canopy and Understory of Selected Trees at Mt.
Makiling Forest Reserve by Mr. Michael P. Gatpatan of UP Los Baños. The launching of the PSL Publication and Career Orientation Video followed.
The last three talk for the convention featured three plenary lectures on Exploring the Gut Microbiome’s Role in Modulating Cassava Induced Neurotoxicity (Konzo) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Dr. Matthew Bramble of the Children’s National Medical Center, Washington D.C., USA; Detection of Wolbachia in Field-collected Dengue Vector Mosquito, Aedes aegypti in the Philippines by Dr. Kozo Watanabe of Ehime University Matsuyama, Japan; and A Multidisciplinary Approach to Microbial QA of Herbal Raw Materials, by Dr. Isagani Padolina of Pascual Pharma Corporation. During the closing ceremonies, outgoing PSM President Dr. Leslie Michelle M. Dalmacio gave a warm and heart felt message to the Board of Directors and participants, before passing on the responsibility of leading the society to greater heights to incoming PSM President Dr. Alonzo A. Gabriel.