Almost 10 years ago, I had a chance interview with Manong Angel (Dr. Angel Chua Alcala) in one of my trips to Dumaguete when I was a part-time faculty member of the Silliman University Graduate School.
I called him “Manong” as our parents were close friends in our hometown in Cauayan as my father served as the spiritual adviser of the family being the pastor of the Baptist church the Alcalas attended.
His passing away on Feb. 1 stirred sadness and sentimentalism among us, siblings, as we had very fond childhood and youthful memories of the Alcala family.
And if I have to mention it, I served as the carrier of love letters between his younger brother – who was staying with us then, when he was a Bible School student – and my first-grade teacher.
My teacher and Manong Angel’s brother, Nene, eventually got married and they chose me as their wedding ring bearer.
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That chance meeting at Silliman came about a year before he was declared National Scientist by President Noynoy Aquino in 2014.
Dr. Alcala was known, among others, for his pioneering efforts in marine conservation as well as researches he conducted and books he authored related to his field, biological sciences. He published over 200 peer-reviewed studies and books, testaments to his immense contribution to the conservation of the environment, ecosystems and
biodiversity.
Manong Angel, in response to my curiosity on the beginnings of his professional passion, told me that living as a boy just a few meters from the sea in Sitio Calaogao, Barangay Caliling, he learned to swim and dive early, an experience, he said, that led him to discover the wonders of life beneath the surface of the Calaogao sea waters.
“That’s how my love for marine biology started,” I remember him as saying.
Enriching his boyhood experiences and eventual professional interest was his role in helping his father – being the eldest among 12 children – run the fishpond enterprise, which younger members of the Alcala family still manage today.
His Calaogao life right next to the sea and hands-on fishery experiences, led to his earning a biology degree from Silliman and paved the way for grants at Stanford University, where he earned his masteral and doctoral degrees.
Other than his being named national scientist, he also received numerous recognitions, among others, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service which is considered as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. He was also named an Outstanding Fulbright Awardee in Ecology by the Philippine American Educational Foundation.
In 1992, he was appointed by President Ramos as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and later continued his government service as chairman of the Commission on Higher
Education.
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I also recall an interview I conducted with him a lot earlier at his Marine Science laboratory at Silliman.
My article – focused on reptiles, one of his interests – was about a Philippine crocodile raised at the SU Marine Lab which he sent for conservation to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas in the United States.
The article was carried in the front page of a national daily, complete with an illustration.
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Dr. Alcala was accorded a state funeral in Dumaguete City on Feb. 10.
Silliman – where he had served as president, trustee and director of the SU – Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management – described the national scientist as “a man of competence, character and faith – the hallmarks of SU education that he had carried with him through the decades of his career.”
In honoring Dr. Alcala the university said, as published in the NEGROS WEEKLY cover story last week, “Without him, SU would not have been able to make the same impact. Silliman will forever be grateful.”
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Also paying tribute to him was the local government of Cauayan,
his hometown.
Mayor John Rey Tabujara, in a statement delivered to members of the Alcala family in Cauayan and Dumaguete City, said:
“The Municipality of Cauayan extends its deepest sympathies to the family of Dr. Angel Alcala, who passed away in Dumaguete City on February 1, 2023 at the age of 93.
“Dr. Alcala, a native of Barangay Caliling in Cauayan who was a resident of Dumaguete City, was a widely respected scientist, marine biologist, author and educator, who brought honors to the country, Negros Island and the institutions and agencies he served.
“He was named a National Scientist of the Philippines and was a recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.
“His exposure to farming and fishery in his young life in the rural community inspired him to dream and pursue excellence in education that led him to hallowed halls of learning in the country and abroad.
“Served as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and was President of Silliman University, where he earned his Marine Biology degree with magna cum laude honors. He took up masteral and doctoral studies at Stanford University in the United States.
“He had also been widely recognized for his various research studies, authored books and consultancies with, among others, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
“Among his numerous international and regional awards was the Outstanding Negrense recognition presented by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental for his remarkable work in environmental management.
“We, Cauayanons join his family in its moments of grief and deep loss but we are comforted by the fact that he is now in the loving presence of his Lord and Creator.
“May his life serve as an inspiration for young people, especially the youth of his and our hometown, to pursue in their lives the qualities of excellence, hard work, integrity and love of God, country and others which he exemplified.
“Rest in God’s eternal peace, our ‘kasimanwa’ and pride, Dr. Angel Alcala.”
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To his widow, Manay Naomi, children and grandchildren, my family extends deepest sympathy and prayers for comfort, peace and reassurance.
A story of greatness, indeed, inspired by the depth, breadth and wonders beneath the coast of Calaogao in Barangay Caliling in Cauayan.
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The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our
Maker. (Psalm 95:5-6) – NWI
