From martial law to DOST, UP graduate Mario Montejo still curious

MANILA, Philippines–He entered the University of the Philippines (UP) with a curiosity for the sciences and the burning issues of the day. It was the First Quarter Storm, the period of student unrest that preceded the declaration of martial law, and the country was in chaos.

The same inquisitiveness has informed Mario Montejo’s career and present role as secretary of science and technology.

“During those turbulent times, we took extra effort to understand the issues of the day. We were more than curious,” he said in an interview.

Montejo entered UP in 1969, and by the time he graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1974, the country was well into the Marcos dictatorship. Forty years later, he was recognized as the Most Distinguished Alumnus by the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) during its annual homecoming this year.

The science secretary led 48 awardees from various fields during the awarding ceremonies two weeks ago. Other personalities who were honored were journalists Yvonne Chua and Ging Reyes for communication; Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, disaster mitigation; Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, law and the judiciary; Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, peace and social cohesion; and writer Jose Dalisay, culture and the arts.

Martial law period

In his speech, Montejo noted that while the rest of the world was making technological and scientific leaps and bounds, the Philippines took many steps backward during martial law.

At a time when man was exploring space and a man was even put on the moon, the country was headed in the opposite direction, “taking many steps backward as the Marcos regime left scientific advancement to the rest of the world and focused on exercising its brand of political power and control,” Montejo said.

“I remember well the First Quarter Storm, where raw science, as in kwitis and Molotov cocktails, served as our defense against tear gas and bullets,” he recalled.

His involvement in activism against the dictatorship has deeply influenced him up to the present, he said.

That is the “curiosity” that he still carries up to now, especially in his work as the head of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Montejo said. “In a way, that was my training then,” he said.

DOST projects

Before being appointed to his current position in 2010, Montejo was the chief executive officer of Tree Top Adventure Philippines, an ecotourism company, and NW Steel Technologies. He designed the first robotic car park in the country, unveiled in 2009 in Pasig City.

Shortly after the floods spawned by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” in 2009, Montejo revealed in an Inquirer interview his design for a real-time flood warning system to be installed near waterways.

As science secretary, Montejo spearheaded the Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) project at UP Diliman, Quezon City; the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, or Project Noah, and the mosquito ovicidal/larvicidal trap, among other projects.

His motto is “Local technology works!”—an affirmation of his belief in the creativity and sheer excellence of the Philippine scientific community.

For example, the AGT project—an electric, driverless, fully automated elevated train system—is designed by Filipino scientists. A test track built on the UP campus is the first to be built and developed in the country by local engineers.

Project Noah, on the other hand, has been touted as the country’s most advanced disaster mitigation system. The interactive online platform gives users immediate access to data on rain probability, flood forecasts and temperature readings. For the first time, the weather bureau placed data from its radars, weather stations, rain gauges and flood-forecasting models in the hands of the public.

Technology drive

In 2011, the UPAA recognized Montejo as a distinguished alumnus in science and technology. He was also chosen one of the “100 Outstanding Alumni Engineers of the Century” by the UP College of Engineering.

Under his guidance, the DOST has made much headway in agriculture, industries, small-to-medium enterprises, health, and information and communication technology.

Montejo noted that technology was driving the world today, determining who would make it to the next decade.

“Now, more than ever, a nation’s command of science is what determines whether that country will be the source of invention and innovation, or just a user, technology-dependent on others,” he said.

He said that more than being awardees, what was more important was how the collective achievements of UP alumni continued to reshape the country’s landscape for the better.

“I believe that all the alumni here will agree with me that we cannot thank our alma mater enough for molding us into game changers and movers, and providing us with the tools to be champions to the people we serve,” Montejo pointed out.

He believes it was his UP education that had perhaps shaped him into being less materialistic and more concerned about leading efforts for the common good.

“We Filipinos should be stewards of our own future. You cannot hand over your own future to other people,” he said.