UP names Saloma 2nd

Bol-anon Chancellor

A Baclayanon who has distinguished himself as a physicist par excellence makes Boholanos proud when he was elected chancellor of the country’s premier state university.

Dr. Cesar Saloma, former director of the National Institute of Physics (NIP) at the university of the Philippines (UP) earlier recognized as promoter of scientific culture as a scientist, mentor and leader has attained all of these in the prevailing environment of adversity and unfavorable conditions for research, both wikipedia and writer Erica Fille Legara wrote. 

The UP 11-member Board of Regents appointed Saloma last March 2, 2011, during its 1267^th meeting, making him the second Boholano to sit on the position among nine chancellors since 1982.

Saloma joins former chancellor Jose V. Abueva who was born in Tuburan Cebu but lived in Duero, Bohol.

According to phisciletters.org, Dr. Saloma obtained his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of the Philippines in 1981, 1984, and 1989, respectively.

He was appointed to the highest rank of Scientist III by the UP System in 2006, he was one of three issued. Later, he was re-appointed, making him the only other one issued such.

Even from his young years at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary here, Saloma has been relentless in the pursuit of excellence, said priests who have known him.

The Philippine Science Letters also bared that Dr. Saloma began working in optics in October 1987 as a Monbusho exchange scholar at the Department of Applied Physics, at the Osaka University in Japan in pursuit of his PhD dissertation under the guidance of Professor Shigeo Minami.

Those same years, the NIP had not yet acquired the necessary equipment and financial support, or the qualified research supervisors, to allow graduate students like him to perform advanced research investigations in applied physics.

True blooded researcher, scientist and inventor, Saloma has been multi-awarded, most of these awards for his pioneering work in applied physics.

In 2004 Saloma was the first scientist from an Asean country to get the Galileo Galilei Award from the International Commission for Optics in recognition of his important contributions to the field of optics.

By 2008, he has received the triennial ASEAN outstanding scientist and Technologist Award at the 8th ASEAN Science and Technology Week in Manila, Philippines after being recognized for his contributions to photonics and signal processing that were accomplished with colleagues and students at the National Institute of Physics.

As chancellor, he would be assisted by five Vice Chancellors at the UP— for Academic Affairs, Administration, Community Affairs, Research and Development and Student Affairs.

Apart from heading the university, the Chancellor also holds administrative works representing the Board of Regents to the campus level.

Saloma then would be directing the University Council, an internal coordinating body that composed the Chancellor himself, the University Registrar as the secretary, and the professors, associate professors and assistant professors as members. (racPIABohol)