President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. conferred the 2022 Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award to PHilMech Director Dionisio G. Alvindia, PhD. of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) during the awards rites held at Malacañang Palace on March 8, 2023.

The Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award is the most prestigious award for public service and is given to individuals or groups who made exceptional or extraordinary contributions resulting from a performance that had a nationwide impact on public interest, security, and patrimony.

Dr. Alvindia is the very first Scientist I of PHilMech in 2010. His status as a scientist climbed from Scientist I to Scientist III in 2014, and in 2021, Dr. Alvindia was conferred the title Scientist IV—the highest rank ever reached by a PHilMech employee in the scientific career system.

Works as a Scientist

Being born and raised in a farming family and a graduate of agriculture majoring in crop protection, and plant pathology at Central Luzon State University in 1985, Dr. Alvindia grew up with a passion for agriculture and science most specifically in dealing with pests and diseases of crops.

Alvindia formulated a microbial control agent composed of different strains of beneficial bacteria which aims to provide an effective, sustainable, safe, and environment-friendly approach to managing postharvest diseases in various tropical crops. It likewise contains metabolite that serves as a biofertilizer resulting in a Phyto tonic effect on crops.

With these, he was granted property/copyright by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) as an inventor and author of scientific and technical books.

Dr. Alvindia, while being focused on achieving his scientific career goals, is generous enough to share the opportunities with his colleagues in PHilMech and encourage them to embark on becoming a scientist. He is an ardent believer in the relevance of mentoring and coaching young researchers and scientists.

As of today, eight other employees of PHilMech he mentored over the years and encouraged have followed in his scientific career path and become scientists themselves.

Works in the Agriculture Sector

In 2019, his leadership as Director of the Philippine Integrated Rice Program (PIRP) of the Department of Agriculture in planning strategies for program implementation among the different rice-producing regions of the country has resulted in an uptrend in rice production.

The total yield of palay (unmilled rice) in 2020 reached a record of 19.44 million metric tons (compared to the highest 19,27MMT in 2017). In 2021, rice production hit another record of 19.96 MMT. This was the country’s closest it could get so far toward rice self-sufficiency.

The record-breaking palay harvest benefited Filipino rice consumers, especially during the pandemic when food availability was a major issue. His efforts with the national rice program’s plans and activities despite the pandemic have fueled the desire of farmers to continue farming to feed millions of Filipinos amid the series of lockdowns in the country.

Works in the Academe

As an educator, he has been holding important positions in various universities such as Central Luzon State University (CLSU), De La Salle University (DLSU), and De La Salle Araneta University (DLSAU).

The advanced scientific knowledge he gained from his academic background and his research is freely extended to students providing them with strong foundations in rationalizing academic and research concepts.

Dr. Alvindia has finished his master’s degree in International Agricultural Development (1998) and Ph.D. in Agricultural Science (2003) at the Tokyo University of Agriculture. He was a Fullbright Postdoctoral Fellow at the Montana State University.

With 36 years of impeccable track record as a public servant and prolific scientist, Dr. Alvindia has won various awards in the Philippines and abroad, and continues to better his service to the agriculture sector as he leads PHilMech in the implementation of its huge banner programs like the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program (RA 11203) and the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (RA 115241).