When Dr. Ramon Cu recently wrote his letter appeal outlining the position of the Philippine Sugar Research Foundation (PHILSURIN) on the provincial ordinance banning GMOs, that immediately triggered a lot of questions on who he is.

I guess that I, too, had committed a major blunder. I have long known Dr. Cu. And, for years, I forgot that, like most scientists, he has a fetish for anonymity. He lurks in the shadows, wishing to come out only when really necessary.

Thus, a well-respected scientific brains like him, remains relatively unknown except to a handful of people.

That’s the reason why I finally decided to come out with Dr. Cu and his credentials for speaking his mind out.

Dr. Cu finished his doctoral degree from the Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science Department of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia.

The first 3 chapters of Dr. Cu’s dissertation won the best research awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 from the American Phytopathological Society and the APRES during their annual meetings held in North America, West Virginia, and Georgia, respectively.

He joined USDA as post-doctoral fellow at the Wheat Genetics, Physiology, and Disease Research Unit in Pullman, WA where he developed models for expert system in wheat disease management.

He was also the Project Scientist of the Entomology and Plant Pathology Department of IRRI in 1993 to 1995 working on productivity decline in intensive production system. While at IRRI Dr. Cu continued to work for USDA as Visiting Scientist at Washington University.

Dr. Cu published most of his work in PHYTOPATHOLOGY and PLANT DISEASE, the two international journals published by the American Phytopathological Society (APS). His work on expert systems in disease management is available on the WEB hosted by WSU and USDA at http://pnw-ag.wsu.edu.MoreCrop.Wheat.htm and http://pnw-ag.wsu.edu/MoreCrop/Barely.htm
Dr. Cu is a Fulbrighter. He got a Fulbright research grant in 2002 for advance training in ELISA development at University of Florida at Gainesville.

Currently, he is the Deputy Director of PHILSURIN and has served the Sugar Industry for about 12 years. Dr. Cu, together with his colleagues, has instituted changes and innovative programs for the Industry.

While a lot pontificate on a subject which they hardly know anything about, finally Dr. Cu dished out his perception on the dangers posed to the sugar industry by the GMO ban ordinance. We should respect his ideas arrived at by years of research and studies.*