The PhilDev Foundation honored outstanding personalities and organizations at the PhilDev Gala and Awards 2024, celebrating remarkable contributions in the fields of science, innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.
The event took place at Edsa Shangri-La on Saturday, September 21, led by PhilDev Science and Technology Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Francisco ‘Paco’ Sandejas.
Dr. Sandejas emphasized PhilDev Foundation's evolution into a “bayanihan movement,” a collaborative effort involving government institutions, private companies, academia, and individual entrepreneurs.
“PhilDev has really evolved into what I’d like to say is a “bayanihan movement”. Unfortunately, not anyone, I think that has been said so many times, there’s no singular family in this country that can fund the development that we need to build real innovative industries... so, we have worked and this is now evolved into a bayanihan movement, it’s a movement with the collaboration of government institutions, the private companies and all the academe and all the individuals and entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Sandejas.
In his speech, he highlighted the foundation’s commitment to empowering underprivileged yet talented STEM students through their Science Engineering Scholarship Program.
“So, our Science Engineering Scholarship Program, it says, continuously empower under privileged yet talented STEM students offering them life changing opportunities, we are also excited tonight to celebrate innovators and trail blazers at the PhilDev Excellence awards, leaders inspire innovation and entrepreneurship across the Philippines,” he continued.
Among the honorees was former Senate President Edgardo J. Angara, who received the Science, Technology, and Education Leadership Award for Policy.
Former Senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr. was awarded the Technology Entrepreneurship Leadership Award for Policy, and Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana received the Innovation Excellence Award for Research.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Salvana expressed his gratitude to the Filipino people who funded his education and supported his return to the Philippines as a 'Balik Scientist.'
He emphasized his ongoing commitment to contributing to the country's scientific advancements and nurturing future researchers.
“I would like to thank the Filipino people actually who funded my high school education, college education. I was a ‘balik-scientist’ as well so Filipino people bright me back and I still work for the Filipino people in UPNIH, and I hope that we have an innovation that were making in UPNIH as well as the work that we did during the COVID 29 pandemic, somehow it is good to return in investment and i look forward to making more research and nurturing more kids as time goes by,” said Dr. Salavana.
Other awardees included:
- GCash — Dado Banatao Technopreneurship Excellence Award
- Nanette Medved-Po — Innovation Excellence Award for Sustainable Environment
- Lilia B. de Lima, LI.D. (h.c.) — S&T Innovation and Leadership Award for Governance
- Reynaldo B. Vea, PhD — Academic Leadership Award for S&T
- Tirso A. Ronquillo, PhD — Stratpoint Technopreneurship Education Leadership Award
- Alice G. Eduardo — Innovation Excellence Award for Engineering Industry
This event marked the first time the PhilDev Gala and Awards were held in the Philippines, a tradition previously celebrated abroad to recognize the excellence of various personalities.
