Dr. Teresito C. Bacolcol has been named as the new DOST-PHIVOLCS Director as he took his oath with Science and Technology Secretary, Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr., on January 23, 2023 at the PHIVOLCS Auditorium, Quezon City.
“Being appointed as director of PHIVOLCS is a heavy burden, filled with challenges that I decided to accept. Not because I am confident of myself but because I am confident that you are with me in this journey,” the new Director said during his speech.
“As your head, I will be consensus-oriented but I already expect from brilliant minds, diverse perspectives and opinions. I will weigh what you say as much as practicable but at the end of the day, I can only make one decision. And I ask you to trust that my judgment is at all times for the good of the Institute,” he added.
Secretary Solidum said that being a director means taking a lot of sacrifices, including administrative tasks and time management.
“You will sacrifice your time, even if it's scheduled, kailangan mong magpunta sa isang lugar o dito sa office when necessary especially during emergencies,” Sec. Solidum said.
Dr. Bacolcol graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of the Philippines in 1995. He earned a Diplôme d’études Approfondies in 1999 and his Diplôme de Docteur (Ph.D.) in Geology in 2003 from the Universite de Paris VI (Université Pierre et Marie Curie) in Paris, France.
He started his career with the Institute in 1997 as Science Research Specialist I and later became DOST Associate Scientist detailed in PHIVOLCS in 2005. In 2021, he held the position as Deputy Director of the Institute.
Dr. Bacolcol is the sixth to lead DOST-PHIVOLCS since its inception in 1952.