by Lily L. Tallafer
01 Sept-2010 SEARCA News Release
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), a long-time partner of SEARCA in its Graduate Scholarship Program, conducted a ceremonial handing over of scholarship certificates to 13 Southeast Asians pursuing graduate programs at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and UP Diliman. The ceremony was held on 24 August 2010 at the Deutsche Bank Seminar Room, School of Economics, UP Diliman.
Speakers during the ceremony were Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan, Dean of UP School of Economics; Mr. Thomas Schrod, First Secretary (Cultural Affairs) of the German Embassy in Manila; Dr. Francisco F. Peñalba, Deputy Director for Administration, SEARCA; and Ms. Aisa O. Manlosa, an environmental science scholar from the Philippines, who gave the response in behalf of the scholarship grantees. The affair was organized by Ms. Natalie Lange, DAAD Lecturer at UPD Department of European Languages, with the assistance of Dr. Editha C. Cedicol, Manager, Graduate Scholarship Department, SEARCA.
Photo shows the scholars, speakers, and guests of the ceremony posing for posterity after the ceremony. Seated (l-r): Ms. Lily L. Tallafer, Special Projects Coordinator-Networks and Linkages, SEARCA; Dr. Cedicol; Ms. Lange; Ms. Ana Jeannie Magno de Corte-Real Araujo (agronomy) of Timor-Leste; Ms. Yin Yin Nwet (agricultural economics) and Ms. Khin Thanda Oo (horticulture), both of Myanmar; and Ms. Manlosa. Standing (l-r): Prof. Wynstan dela Peña, Chair, Department of European Languages, UP Diliman; Mr. Tho Kim Eang of Cambodia (plant pathology); Mr. Natalino B. Martins (animal science) and Mr. Mario Jose Morais (animal science), both of Timor-Leste; Mr. Daud Samsudewa (animal science) of Indonesia; Dr. Ruperto Alfonso, Director, External Relations, Professor, UP School of Economics; Dr. Peñalba; Mr. Schrod; Dr. Balisacan (also a DAAD-SEARCA alumnus); Mr. Afonso Alves DJ Candido (local governance and development) and Mr. Ergilio F. Vicente (community development), both of Timor-Leste; Mr. Quyen Dinh Ha (community development) of Vietnam; Mr. Rey B. Lara of the Philippines (urban and regional planning); Mr. Henning Bjoern Lange, Visiting Lecturer, Ateneo de Manila University; and Mr. Kenneth A. Laruan (forestry) of the Philippines.
Currently, SEARCA implements the scholarship grants of 76 Southeast Asians pursuing various graduate study programs in different host universities in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The Center’s Graduate Scholarship Program assists in producing high-caliber professionals in agriculture and related fields who would take on important leadership responsibilities in institutions that help propel Southeast Asia’s economic growth. So far, 1,271 graduate scholarships have been granted.
