AT LEAST seven faculty members of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños are presidents of different professional and academic associations in the country.

These are Dr. Jezie Acorda, Prince Kennex Aldama, Dr. Ariel Babierra, Mark Lester Chico, Dr. Emmanuel Ryan de Chavez, Julie Aiza Mandap and Dr. Maria Ana Quimbo.

Acorda is the president of the Philippine Association of Veterinary Medicine Educators and Schools from 2022 to 2024.

He is the dean of the UPLB’s College of Veterinary Medicine and a full professor at the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Gifu University and a Master of Agriculture from Obihiro University, both in Japan.

Aldama, on the other hand, is the president of the Philippine Sociological Society.

Aldama is an assistant professor who teaches political sociology and sociology of religion at the university’s Department of Social Sciences. He obtained his MA and BA Sociology (cum laude) from UPLB. He currently serves as the program coordinator for curriculum development at the Office for Institutional Development in Higher Education.

Meanwhile, Babierra is the president of the Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP)-CALABARZON Chapter until 2024.

He is an associate professor at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics-College of Arts and Sciences and chairman of the Curriculum Committee at Mathematics Division.
He also serves as the Quality Assurance Officer of the Graduate School.

Professor Chico is the president of the Philippine Association of Communication Educators.

He is the director of the UPLB Office of Public Relations and an assistant professor who teaches community broadcasting and multimedia courses at the College of Development Communication.

Meanwhile, Dr. De Chavez will serve as the president of Malacological Society of the Philippines, Inc. until 2023.

He is an associate professor at the Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences. He also conducts research on tropical malacology, community ecology, evolutionary biology and developmental ecotoxicology.

Professor Mandap was appointed president of the Philippine Phytopathological Society Inc. from 2022 to 2023.

She heads the Pest Biology and Biodiversity Division of the Institute of Weed Science, Entomology and Plant Pathology of the College of Agriculture and Food Science.

She finished MS Plant Pathology with highest distinction at Iowa State University in the USA, and is a member of the American Phytopathological Society and the Iowa and Philippine Chapters of the Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society of Agriculture.

Lastly, Dr. Quimbo is Philippine Association of Agri-vironment Educators and Entrepreneurs, Inc. president until 2024.

She is a professor and a Scientist II at the Institute for Governance and Rural Development of the College of Public Affairs and Development.