LOS BAÑOS, Laguna --The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) has conferred the 2021 SEAMEO Service Award on outstanding staff members of the organization’s specialist institutions based in its member countries. Occasion was the 51^st SEAMEO Council Conference held virtually for the first time.

The SEAMEO Council is the highest policymaking body of SEAMEO, an intergovernmental treaty body founded in 1965 to promote cooperation among Southeast Asian nations in education, science, and culture. Education Secretary Leonor Briones represents the Philippines in the council.

Among the 2021 SEAMEO Service Awardees is Gaspar L. de Chavez of the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) based in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). He joined SEARCA in 1996 and has showed dedication to work greatly aligns with the Center’s goals. During the pandemic, he designed pedal-controlled faucets that SEARCA fabricated for the Los Baños community to help curb the spread of COVID-19. 

The SEAMEO Service Awardees from the other Philippines-based SEAMEO specialist institutions are Mary Ann C. Sison and Rowel C. Malimban, both University Researchers at the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Public Health Hospital Administration, Environmental and Occupational Health (TROPMED-Philippines) in Manila and Bituin C. Abuel, Centre Nurse at the SEAMEO Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH) in Quezon City.

Given biennially, the award recognizes exemplary staff members of SEAMEO units “who demonstrate exceptionally high level of achievement in work performance, innovation, and creativity, professionalism, and commitment that contribute to the success of the Organization's mission and goals.”

SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio along with INNOTECH Director Dr. Ramon C. Bacani and TROPMED Philippines Director Dr. Vicente Y. Belizario, Jr. also participated in the virtual SEAMEO Center Directors Meeting held today, July 21. They joined the top officials of 23 other SEAMEO centers spread across Southeast Asia and 200 other participants from the SEAMEO centers, associate member country, affiliate member and 21 partner organizations, among them United Nations (UN) agencies, government organizations, development agencies, universities, and enterprises.

According to the Bangkok-based SEAMEO Secretariat, the participants gathered to share and discuss regional development programs and work plans for improving education, science, and culture for the Southeast Asian region. The meeting was also a venue for expanding the developmental programs with new partners and strengthening the existing partnerships.