Dr. Virgilio Julius P. Manzano Jr., dean of the MMSU Graduate School, was recognized as the country's Most Outstanding Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer in the field of Soil and Water Resources Development Conservation, Irrigation and Drainage this year.

He received the award at the close of the three simultaneous conferences conducted by the Philippine Society of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers (PSABE) held at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City last April 21-27.

The conferences were part of the 30th Philippine Agricultural Engineering Week, 16th International Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Conference and Exhibition, and 69th PSABE National Annual Convention. The theme of this year's conferences was "Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers: Catalysts of Infrastructure Modernization in Agriculture and Fisheries", which highlighted the "technologization" of the agriculture sector across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The criteria in giving the award are professional competence and integrity, achievement in agricultural engineering profession, and community service and public relation.

Dr. Manzano was recognized because of his exposure in research and development (R&D) projects related to soil and water resources development, irrigation and drainage, innovative irrigation management strategies, principles of precision and smart agriculture, instrumentation, remote data (climatological and agronomic) acquisition and analysis, modelling software, and decision support system in agriculture. 

"The R&D projects that I conducted in the last three years were the National R&D Program on Watershed Management: Quiaoit River watershed, Philippine Light Detection and Ranging (Phil-LIDAR) 2, Enhancing Peanut Production through Innovative Water Management Strategies, Climate Information Services (CIS) Provision in the Agriculture Sector, and the climatic changes and evaluation of their effects on agriculture in Asian monsoon region," he said.

Aside from the recognition, his paper on "Downscaling seasonal climate forecast for risks management of rice production in the Philippines" also landed third place under the soil and water resources development conservation, irrigation and drainage category. 

Aside from PSABE, Dr. Manzano  is also a member of the following non-profit scientific organizations: Philippine Society for the Study of Nature; Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Fellows Association of the Philippines; Faculty Association Incorporated, Gamma Sigma Delta - The Honor Society of Agriculture; and the International Society of Paddy and Water Engineering.

PSABE was founded in 1950 to advance the theory and practice of engineering in agriculture and the allied sciences and the arts, enhance the status of agricultural engineering as a profession, and improve the usefulness and the role of the organized agricultural engineering society.