Filipino Scientist

Once a Dreamer, Now a Scientist

I am always wondering as how the media can easily publicize coup attempts and other works of terrorism but can hardly feature true-blooded Filipinos waving the Philippine Flag in other countries.

I always thought that to become a scientist is only true for the westerners and other race. I always thought that Filipino scientists are all dead. They are all forgotten and they will die in hunger as paupers. What an exaggeration! I have seen documentary about a science group or something that have been shouting for proper protection and support from the government. I shudder as I remember how it featured gadgets and technologies concocted by Filipinos but eventually the property rights have been sold to other country. Oh, disgusting!

I don’t know how I came to pass and read about Salamin authored by Katherine Develos Bagarinao. Her story has proven all my thinkings before about scientists as wrong and definitely wrong. I was surprised to know that a Filipino woman working about please check me if I am wrong, Electricity in Japan. She was a full-blooded Filipino and a graduate of UP Diliman.

How come someone like her has not been featured? If I could only have the media control, I will probably grab the chance to interview her since she is on the verge of going back in the Philippines for the holidays.

This comes to my mind as I remember my classmate in High School who is taking a similar course, particularly it was about physics but I can’t remember it exactly. He will be graduating this March hopefully as Magna Cum Laude.

I want him as a representative of those young people like him hoping to be a scientist who I guess are thinking to be teachers because of the scarcity of opportunity, to see the brighter side. That their dreams like what Ms. Kathy dreamt before can become a reality.

A feature about that can give hope to those people who are always busy in the laboratory wearing their lab gowns in saving the world, I mean in uplifting the standards of technology. My classmate and his recent batchmates are not alone. Someone in the higher generation (oops, sorry, what will be the right term then) has taken the same path and has been successful.

To those who are eyeing for a good feature story, please feature Ms. Katherine Bagarinao. Naku baka maunahan ko kayu… hahaha… Pag graduate ko yan siguro or similar to that yung magiging project ko… hahaha… I mean it!