The Senate on Monday adopted a resolution recognizing and commending Dr. Carmencita Padilla for receiving the order of National Scientist award conferred by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. last year.
Senator Pia Cayetano, who authored and sponsored Senate Resolution 806, touted Dr. Padilla’s push for the passage of the Newborn Screening Act in 2024 and the Rare Disease bill that became law in 2016.
Cayetano said Padilla has demonstrated compassionate leadership and dedication in pursuit of honor and excellence as the current Chancellor of the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila.
The senator also lauded Padilla’s continuous advocating innovative ways for the delivery of health sciences and medical education to the “Iskolars ng Bayan” while leading the establishment of various medical and laboratory facilities that cater to patients of the Philippine General Hospital and other public hospitals in the country.
“Her contributions to public health, particularly in the fields of medical research, education, and legislation continue to inspire and uplift the lives of Filipinos all over the nation,” Cayetano added.
Executive Order 236, series of 2003, otherwise known as the Honors Code of the Philippines, emphasizes the exceptional prestige of the Order by placing the National Scientist Award fourth in the order of precedence and equal in rank with the Order of National Artist.
On 31 August 2023, Padilla received the Order of National Scientist Award (Ang Orden ng Gawad ng Pambansang Alagad ng Agham)—the highest national recognition given to a man or woman of science in the Philippines.
Padilla excelled in her medical studies, graduating cum laude with a degree in BS Pre-Medicine at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1976.
She also earned a Doctor of Medicine degree as an outstanding graduate at UP Manila in 1981 and became a fellowship grantee in Clinical Genetics at the prestigious Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney, Australia in 1990.
She acquired an MA in Health Policy Studies at the College of Public Health, UP Manila in 2005.
“She has made significant contributions to public health through medical research, particularly in the development of genetic technology, which played a crucial role in the passage of key health measures,” Cayetano said.
Padilla's notable studies were vital in the crafting and passage of critical health laws such as the Newborn Screening Act of 2004 which is known to have saved thousands of infants all over the country from intellectual disability and death, as well as the Rare Diseases Act of2016 which protects and promotes the right to health of right of persons suffering from rare diseases to survive through access to timely health information and adequate medical care.
Padilla also spearheaded the establishment of the Philippine Genome Center, a multidisciplinary institution that will combine basic and applied research for the development of health diagnostics, therapeutics, DNA forensics, preventive products, and the improvement of crop varieties in the country.
