3rd Haydee Yorac Awardees feted

NAGA CITY --- Proud of their school and of their outstanding alumna, the Isabelina high school class of 1978 feted their classmate, Dr. Maria Victoria-Bernido and her husband, Dr. Christopher C. Bernido, with a testimonial dinner held at the Universidad de Sta. Isabel auditorium last Monday, March 30.

Victoria and Christopher, the physicist-researcher-educator couple, were earlier honored as this year’s recipients of the 3rd Gawad Haydee Yorac during the formal awarding rites held at Meralco Theater in Manila last March 4, 2009. They were cited “for their partnership to build a nation through science, research and a new method of teaching founded on excellence and values.” The award is for outstanding service and leadership established in 2006 by Meralco, in cooperation with the University of the Philippines in honor of the multi-awarded public servant.

Victoria, a Naga City Mayoral Awardee in 2006 for her research and innovative programs in physics and related sciences, is married to Christopher, a fellow UP physics professor. They finally settled in Bohol, the husband’s hometown, where they established the Central Visayan Institute Foundation, which became the home of dynamic learning program. The institute comprises a research center in physics and theoretical physics, high school department that strengthens the science focus of its students, and an education research center for continuing development of the learning program.

During the testimonial dinner, USI high school classmate Dr. Marilou Cruz-Sarmiento hailed Victoria for imbibing and nourishing the Vincentian values of excellence, humility, and social responsibility in all her undertakings. “It goes with saying that her triumphs immeasurably contribute to nation-building,” Dr. Sarmiento stressed.

The research center that the Bernido couple founded has been hosting physics workshops every three years, drawing experts from all over the world, including two winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics, Gerard Hooft and Frank Wilczek. The international workshops have been connecting departments of physics in the Philippines with that of the global community, giving faculty and graduate students the chance to network with fellow scientists abroad.

The nation-building approach of the couple’s education program and research is summed up in their words to their students: “We want you to be good in science, in math, in the languages but all these are useless if your character is not well-developed…”

Victoria said that “true development means that the people of a nation have achieved high levels of civilization – they are honest, industrious, dutiful and can maintain clean, peaceful productive towns and cities in all parts of the country.”

Victoria is a daughter of former NBI National Director J. Antonio Z. Carpio, himself a distinguished son of Naga City. (www.naga.gov.ph)