Jose R. Velasco
(February 4, 1916 —
January 24, 2007)
Alcaide, Allen
Castro, Christel
Garcia, Edwin
Imperio, Etienne
Abstract
Jose R. Velasco (February 4, 1916 - January 24, 2007) was a
Filipino agricultural chemist and plant physiologist. He studied the properties
of the substances used in agriculture, photoperiodism, and primarily about a
coconut disease called cadang-cadang. He received recognition from various
bodies for his works and in 1998, he was awarded and recognized as a National
Scientist of the Philippines.
Tags: Jose R. Velasco, National Scientist of the Philippines, Imus
Cavite Elementary School, Philippine
School of Commerce, Central Luzon Agricultural School, Central Luzon State
University, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College of
Agriculture, agricultural chemist, plant
physiologist, teacher, administrator, substances used in agriculture,
photoperiodism, coconut disease, cadang-cadang, U.S. State Department
Fellowship, University of the Philippines Fellowship, Secretary of the
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Certificate of Merit, SEATO
Fellowship, Gugenheim Foundation Fellowship, University of the Philippines
Alumni Award, Colombo Plan Special Visitor to Australia, UPCA Distinguished
Alumni Award, UNESCO Exchange Professor in Plant Physiology in Universidad de
la Havana, Planters Product Achievement Award for Crop Science in the Field of
Teaching, PCCP Distinguished Award in Pest Management, Special Visitor to
Japan, Imus Elementary School Outstanding Alumnus Award, Outstanding Imuseño
Award
Personal Life
Dr. Jose R. Velasco is a plant physiologist and agricultural
chemist. He is also a national
scientist, a teacher, administrator and a family man. He was born on February 4, 1916 in Imus,
Cavite. He is one of the five children of Hugo R. Velasco and Guillerma
Ramirez. His father is a U.S. Army in Manila while his mother is a housewife (Ongkiko, n.d.).
At a young age, he already had the dream of being a lawyer. He learned the skills of typing and short
hand that also led him to think about using these skills in finding a job to
help him fund his desired law school.
But, when he studied in a vocational school, Philippine School of
Commerce (PSC), he figured out that he is not for stenography instead, he
noticed that he is good in English and history. As a consequence, he
transferred to Central Luzon Agricultural School (now Central Luzon State University,
CLSU) in Nueva Ecija and stayed there for three years. He graduated salutatorian instead of
valedictorian because of the lack of residency.
Afterwards, he studied in the University of the Philippines College of
Agriculture in Los Baños, Laguna. He did this because he received a scholarship
and he also realized that he is really not for law. “Law’s loss was science’s gain,” said Velasco
in an interview in the book National Scientists of the Philippines (1978-1998). This time, he graduated top of his class,
giving him the Joaquin Gonzalez medal.
He is also a cum laude (1940) in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
Major in Agricultural Chemistry (Ongkiko, n.d.).
He worked as a teacher after he graduated. He was described by his students as
intimidating but they always remember him as a man of integrity. And since he always works hard, he didn’t
expect anything less from others. He
seems happiest when he researches or reads (Ongkiko, n.d.).
On March 9, 1941, he married Felicidad Ibañez, a school teacher
from Luisiana, Laguna. They had eight
children: Maria Dolores, Victor Hugo, Vladimir Fred, Jose Alberto, Jaime
Luciano, Maria Natividad, Luis Rey and Vernon Raymund and 16
grandchildren (Eala, 1967, 529). Maria Natividad is the
only one who followed his being a chemist.
Meanwhile, Luis Rey works in education and research. Four of his children are in the U.S. while
the others stay in the Philippines. He
decided to stay in the Philippines because it seems that he can’t leave his
life and work here. He is very
nationalistic and supported the Filipino products and local projects. He said that Filipinos should “patronize
products made by Filipinos” (Ongkiko, n.d.).
He died at the age of 90 on January 24, 2007.
Academic and
Professional Career
Jose R. Velasco, also known as Pepe,
completed his elementary education at Imus Elementary School in Cavite. His
skill in making a way out of every arguments he had with his older brother,
Constantino when he was young, paved the way for him to dream about becoming a
lawyer. But unfortunately, his parents weren't financially capable to send him
to an academic high school so he was instead sent to a vocational high school,
the Philippine School of Commerce. There, he was to study stenography. However,
while he was at PSC, he discovered that he had no skills in typing which
resulted to nearly failing it. Because of this, his father suggested that Pepe
should transfer to an agricultural high school. He then moved to the Central
Luzon Agricultural School, now the Central Luzon State University or CLSU. In
order to sustain his needs, he worked as a rice farmer for three year in Nueva
Ecija. In the end, his hard work paid off and graduated salutatorian (Ongkiko,
n.d.).
For his college education, he
enrolled in the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (UPCA) in
Los Banos, Laguna. His reasons for getting his tertiary studies there were: his
mother's concern for him and the scholarship grants for top high school
graduates. At UPCA, he decided to study mathematics and chemistry. That time,
he had decided to forgo his law school dream but was certain that he didn't want
to be a farmer. He graduated cum laude in 1940 with a Bachelor of Science in
Agriculture major in Agricultural Chemistry. His father and his brother weren't
able to make it to his graduation, but his mother was there to see him receive
the Joaquin Gonzalez medal for graduating at the top of his class. On a side
note, according to Dr. Velasco, mathematics was his best subject (Ongkiko,
n.d.).
Dr. Velasco didn't just only focus
in academics, he was also into sports. Though he did not actually excelled in
the field events, he was still in the varsity team. The best he got in shot put
was third place in an inter-university competition. He also were in the boxing
team but didn't win any major fights (Ongkiko, n.d.).
Jose Velasco taught at the UPCA
Department of Agricultural Botany for several years. His service was apparently
interrupted at different times by WWII (1941-1943), by his stint as US
Department of State scholar to the University of California Berkeley
(1946-1947), and by a UP Fellowship award to continue his studies at the
aforementioned American university (1947-1949) (Ongkiko, n.d.).
At Berkeley, he enrolled in the
straight Ph.D program and completed his studies in three years. When he went
back to Los Banos in 1949, he had a Doctorate degree in Plant Psychology. He
was a research professor, director of research director of instruction,
chairman of the department of botany, and editor of the Philippine
Agriculturist (the college's scientific journal) at the UPCA till 1965
(Ongkiko, n.d.).
In 1965, he transferred to UP
Diliman in Quezon City. There, he became a botany professor and UP Quezon Land
Grant manager. After 2 years, he left his teaching profession to serve as the
Commissioner of the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), for 10
years (Ongkiko, n.d.).
Contributions
Dr. Velasco, as an agricultural chemist, focused on the properties
of the substances used in agriculture. He also studied different aspects
involved in the life of plants and this include photoperiodism of plants or how
they respond to different lighting periods. His study on the said subject led
to his discovery that the Elon-elon variety of rice is capable of flowering
during short days which have 12 hours (Ongkiko, n.d.).
His major study is about the coconut disease called cadang-cadang
which is one of the main problems of small coconut farmers in the Philippines.
This disease was the cause of the death of coconut trees in Bicol Region with
an earliest occurrence in 1926 at San Miguel Island, Tobacco, Albay until more
subsequent cases were reported in other areas (Velasco, 1999, 68).
A coconut tree suffering from cadang-cadang has small, irregularly
shaped, bright yellow spots on the leaves and these spots would eventually grow
bigger because of chlorosis. The affected leaflets will turn smaller and brittle
and the production of flowers and nut will also decrease. The leaves will
gradually fall until the remains will only be a bunch of yellow leaves with a
dark green center of upright leaves at the top of the trees which indicates the
death of the tree (Ongkiko, n.d.).
Dr. Velasco believed that cadang-cadang was caused by an abnormal
soil condition contrary to the popular belief that it was caused by a virus or
bacteria. The hardest part in proving his theory is in finding the causes of
cadang-cadang; but because of his perseverance and diligence as a researcher
and a scientist, he was able to find some literature which led him and his team
in concluding that this blight might probably be caused by rare earths found in
the soil. He also studied which elements of the rare-earths are the most
probable cause of the disease (Ongkiko, n.d.). An example of his study
regarding this is titled “Rare Earths in Coconut Groves Affected by the
Cadang-cadang Disease” (Velasco, 1999, 68).
He is truly a strong-willed and firm scientist for he continued
his so-called “search for certainty” for the cause of cadang-cadang even though
he learned from the literature that many researches showed that cadang-cadang
is probably caused by viruses, nutritional imbalance of the soil, poor
drainage, stress, or microorganisms (Ongkiko, n.d.). His researches greatly
contributed to the knowledge in agriculture in the Philippines and can spark
possible agricultural innovations in the future.
Recognition and Awards
Received
Even during his early years, Jose Velasco has already excelled in
his studies
High School: Salutatorian, Central Luzon Agricultural School (now
Central Luzon State University)
Due to his numerous works and important contributions to our
society, Dr. Velasco was recognized by different bodies which has given him due
recognition and awards
1946-1947: Fellowship, U.S. State Department
And lastly, he was also one of the top scientists recognized by
the government and awarded with the most prestigious award any Filipino
scientist would hope for.
1998: National Scientist of the Philippines
(February 4, 1916 —
January 24, 2007)
Alcaide, Allen
Castro, Christel
Garcia, Edwin
Castro, Christel
Garcia, Edwin
Imperio, Etienne
Lazatin, Paola
Lorin, Kendra
Mendoza, Naomi
Ramos, Fevie Ann
Salenga, Darlene
Tarongoy, Sarena
Abstract
Jose R. Velasco (February 4, 1916 - January 24, 2007) was a
Filipino agricultural chemist and plant physiologist. He studied the properties
of the substances used in agriculture, photoperiodism, and primarily about a
coconut disease called cadang-cadang. He received recognition from various
bodies for his works and in 1998, he was awarded and recognized as a National
Scientist of the Philippines.
Tags: Jose R. Velasco, National Scientist of the Philippines, Imus
Cavite Elementary School, Philippine
School of Commerce, Central Luzon Agricultural School, Central Luzon State
University, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College of
Agriculture, agricultural chemist, plant
physiologist, teacher, administrator, substances used in agriculture,
photoperiodism, coconut disease, cadang-cadang, U.S. State Department
Fellowship, University of the Philippines Fellowship, Secretary of the
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Certificate of Merit, SEATO
Fellowship, Gugenheim Foundation Fellowship, University of the Philippines
Alumni Award, Colombo Plan Special Visitor to Australia, UPCA Distinguished
Alumni Award, UNESCO Exchange Professor in Plant Physiology in Universidad de
la Havana, Planters Product Achievement Award for Crop Science in the Field of
Teaching, PCCP Distinguished Award in Pest Management, Special Visitor to
Japan, Imus Elementary School Outstanding Alumnus Award, Outstanding Imuseño
Award
Dr. Jose R. Velasco is a plant physiologist and agricultural
chemist. He is also a national
scientist, a teacher, administrator and a family man. He was born on February 4, 1916 in Imus,
Cavite. He is one of the five children of Hugo R. Velasco and Guillerma
Ramirez. His father is a U.S. Army in Manila while his mother is a housewife (Ongkiko, n.d.).
At a young age, he already had the dream of being a lawyer. He learned the skills of typing and short
hand that also led him to think about using these skills in finding a job to
help him fund his desired law school.
But, when he studied in a vocational school, Philippine School of
Commerce (PSC), he figured out that he is not for stenography instead, he
noticed that he is good in English and history. As a consequence, he
transferred to Central Luzon Agricultural School (now Central Luzon State University,
CLSU) in Nueva Ecija and stayed there for three years. He graduated salutatorian instead of
valedictorian because of the lack of residency.
Afterwards, he studied in the University of the Philippines College of
Agriculture in Los Baños, Laguna. He did this because he received a scholarship
and he also realized that he is really not for law. “Law’s loss was science’s gain,” said Velasco
in an interview in the book National Scientists of the Philippines (1978-1998). This time, he graduated top of his class,
giving him the Joaquin Gonzalez medal.
He is also a cum laude (1940) in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
Major in Agricultural Chemistry (Ongkiko, n.d.).
He worked as a teacher after he graduated. He was described by his students as
intimidating but they always remember him as a man of integrity. And since he always works hard, he didn’t
expect anything less from others. He
seems happiest when he researches or reads (Ongkiko, n.d.).
On March 9, 1941, he married Felicidad Ibañez, a school teacher
from Luisiana, Laguna. They had eight
children: Maria Dolores, Victor Hugo, Vladimir Fred, Jose Alberto, Jaime
Luciano, Maria Natividad, Luis Rey and Vernon Raymund and 16
grandchildren (Eala, 1967, 529). Maria Natividad is the
only one who followed his being a chemist.
Meanwhile, Luis Rey works in education and research. Four of his children are in the U.S. while
the others stay in the Philippines. He
decided to stay in the Philippines because it seems that he can’t leave his
life and work here. He is very
nationalistic and supported the Filipino products and local projects. He said that Filipinos should “patronize
products made by Filipinos” (Ongkiko, n.d.).
He died at the age of 90 on January 24, 2007.
Jose R. Velasco, also known as Pepe,
completed his elementary education at Imus Elementary School in Cavite. His
skill in making a way out of every arguments he had with his older brother,
Constantino when he was young, paved the way for him to dream about becoming a
lawyer. But unfortunately, his parents weren't financially capable to send him
to an academic high school so he was instead sent to a vocational high school,
the Philippine School of Commerce. There, he was to study stenography. However,
while he was at PSC, he discovered that he had no skills in typing which
resulted to nearly failing it. Because of this, his father suggested that Pepe
should transfer to an agricultural high school. He then moved to the Central
Luzon Agricultural School, now the Central Luzon State University or CLSU. In
order to sustain his needs, he worked as a rice farmer for three year in Nueva
Ecija. In the end, his hard work paid off and graduated salutatorian (Ongkiko,
n.d.).
For his college education, he
enrolled in the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (UPCA) in
Los Banos, Laguna. His reasons for getting his tertiary studies there were: his
mother's concern for him and the scholarship grants for top high school
graduates. At UPCA, he decided to study mathematics and chemistry. That time,
he had decided to forgo his law school dream but was certain that he didn't want
to be a farmer. He graduated cum laude in 1940 with a Bachelor of Science in
Agriculture major in Agricultural Chemistry. His father and his brother weren't
able to make it to his graduation, but his mother was there to see him receive
the Joaquin Gonzalez medal for graduating at the top of his class. On a side
note, according to Dr. Velasco, mathematics was his best subject (Ongkiko,
n.d.).
Dr. Velasco didn't just only focus
in academics, he was also into sports. Though he did not actually excelled in
the field events, he was still in the varsity team. The best he got in shot put
was third place in an inter-university competition. He also were in the boxing
team but didn't win any major fights (Ongkiko, n.d.).
Jose Velasco taught at the UPCA
Department of Agricultural Botany for several years. His service was apparently
interrupted at different times by WWII (1941-1943), by his stint as US
Department of State scholar to the University of California Berkeley
(1946-1947), and by a UP Fellowship award to continue his studies at the
aforementioned American university (1947-1949) (Ongkiko, n.d.).
At Berkeley, he enrolled in the
straight Ph.D program and completed his studies in three years. When he went
back to Los Banos in 1949, he had a Doctorate degree in Plant Psychology. He
was a research professor, director of research director of instruction,
chairman of the department of botany, and editor of the Philippine
Agriculturist (the college's scientific journal) at the UPCA till 1965
(Ongkiko, n.d.).
In 1965, he transferred to UP
Diliman in Quezon City. There, he became a botany professor and UP Quezon Land
Grant manager. After 2 years, he left his teaching profession to serve as the
Commissioner of the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), for 10
years (Ongkiko, n.d.).
Dr. Velasco, as an agricultural chemist, focused on the properties
of the substances used in agriculture. He also studied different aspects
involved in the life of plants and this include photoperiodism of plants or how
they respond to different lighting periods. His study on the said subject led
to his discovery that the Elon-elon variety of rice is capable of flowering
during short days which have 12 hours (Ongkiko, n.d.).
His major study is about the coconut disease called cadang-cadang
which is one of the main problems of small coconut farmers in the Philippines.
This disease was the cause of the death of coconut trees in Bicol Region with
an earliest occurrence in 1926 at San Miguel Island, Tobacco, Albay until more
subsequent cases were reported in other areas (Velasco, 1999, 68).
A coconut tree suffering from cadang-cadang has small, irregularly
shaped, bright yellow spots on the leaves and these spots would eventually grow
bigger because of chlorosis. The affected leaflets will turn smaller and brittle
and the production of flowers and nut will also decrease. The leaves will
gradually fall until the remains will only be a bunch of yellow leaves with a
dark green center of upright leaves at the top of the trees which indicates the
death of the tree (Ongkiko, n.d.).
Dr. Velasco believed that cadang-cadang was caused by an abnormal
soil condition contrary to the popular belief that it was caused by a virus or
bacteria. The hardest part in proving his theory is in finding the causes of
cadang-cadang; but because of his perseverance and diligence as a researcher
and a scientist, he was able to find some literature which led him and his team
in concluding that this blight might probably be caused by rare earths found in
the soil. He also studied which elements of the rare-earths are the most
probable cause of the disease (Ongkiko, n.d.). An example of his study
regarding this is titled “Rare Earths in Coconut Groves Affected by the
Cadang-cadang Disease” (Velasco, 1999, 68).
He is truly a strong-willed and firm scientist for he continued
his so-called “search for certainty” for the cause of cadang-cadang even though
he learned from the literature that many researches showed that cadang-cadang
is probably caused by viruses, nutritional imbalance of the soil, poor
drainage, stress, or microorganisms (Ongkiko, n.d.). His researches greatly
contributed to the knowledge in agriculture in the Philippines and can spark
possible agricultural innovations in the future.
Even during his early years, Jose Velasco has already excelled in
his studies
Due to his numerous works and important contributions to our
society, Dr. Velasco was recognized by different bodies which has given him due
recognition and awards
And lastly, he was also one of the top scientists recognized by
the government and awarded with the most prestigious award any Filipino
scientist would hope for.
Media
Portrait of Jose R. Velasco by Naomi Mendoza
Photos of Central Luzon State University Science High School, the
high school Jose R. Velasco attended. Photos taken by Jeno Julius Garcia.
References
[1] Velasco, Jose R..
1999. Selected Papers of Jose R. Velasco. National Academy of Science and Technology, Bictuan, Taguig, Metro Manila,
Philippines.
[2] Ongkiko, Ila Virginia C. Jose R. Velasco Plant Physiologist on the Trail of a Coconut Killer. National Scientists of the Philippines (1978-1998). Department of Science and Technology – National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines. Anvil
Publishing, Inc..
[3] Eala, Quintin A.
1967. Philippine Men of Science. Sojer, Beatrice, Torrijos, Delia, et. al..
Volume 2. National Institute of Science and Technology, Manila, Philippines.
[4] Famous Filipino dot
com. 2006. Jose R. Velasco. http://www.famousfilipino.com/content/view/82/116/.
Accessed May 24, 2014.
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