The rank and title of National Scientist is the highest honor given to a Filipino man or woman of science by the President of the Republic of the Philippines. The full membership of NAST recommends the nomination of the rank and title of National Scientist to the President of the country. Out of the 28 National Scientists conferred since 1978, 9 (i.e. 33.3% or 1 out of 3) were graduates from the U.P. College of Agriculture, namely:

Francisco M. Fronda, Ph.D. (December 22, 1896 – February 17, 1986)

Graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture in 1919; His field of specialization was Animal Husbandry; The country’s top expert in poultry husbandry and has earned the distinction of being one of the first five in the world who had doctorate in poultry science; Recognized as “the Father of Poultry Science” in the Philippines for his immense contribution to the poultry and livestock industry.

Dioscoro L. Umali, Ph.D. (November 17, 1917 – July 1, 1992)

He finished Bachelor of Science in Agronomy at the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture in 1939; His field of specialization was Agriculture and Rural Development; His studies on upland agriculture, forestry, and environmental preservation have helped many farmers improve the quality of their crops; Recognized as “the Father of Philippine Plant Breeding”.

Pedro B. Escuro, Ph.D. (August 2, 1923 – September 8, 2000)

Graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture in 1952, with a degree in Agronomy, magna cum laude; His field of specialization was Genetics and Plant Breeding; He received 18 honors and awards, that includes his outstanding accomplishments in rice improvement and outstanding contribution to rice breeding and genetics; Recognized as the “Father of the Philippine Rice Breeding Program”.

Dolores A. Ramirez, Ph.D. (September 20, 1931)

Graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture in 1956, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, magna cum laude; Her field of specialization was Biochemical Genetics and Cytogenetics; She focused on the cytogenetics of various important Philippine crops; She was known for her research in biochemical genetics and cytogenetics of plants.

Jose R. Velasco, Ph.D. (February 4, 1916 – January 24, 2007)

Graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture in 1940, with a degree in Agriculture, major in Agriculture Chemistry; His field of specialization was Plant Physiology; He was noted for his research on soil and plant nutrition and on coconut diseases.

Clare R. Baltazar, Ph.D. (November 1, 1927)

Graduated from the University of the Philippines, B.S. in Agriculture major in Entomology, in 1947; Her field of specialization was Systematic Entomology; She has numerous studies on insects, particularly on Philippine-endemic Hymenoptera species; She was the author of Philippine Insects, the first authoritative text on Philippine insects.

Benito S. Vergara, Ph.D. (June 23, 1934 – October 24, 2015)

He obtained his BS in Botany from the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture in 1955; His field of specialization was Plant Physiology; He contributed significantly on rice research, particularly on studies on deep water rice, flood-tolerant rice, and cold-resistant rice, varieties which are valuable to increased rice production; He specialized on the field of plant physiology.

Ricardo M. Lantican, Ph.D. (January 8, 1933)

Graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines, B.S. Agriculture, in 1954; His field of specialization was Plant Breeding; He emphasized his studies in plant breeding on the development of varietal resistance and the improvement of plant structure and morphology; He was a Filipino scientist known for his researches in plant breeding; He was conferred the rank and title of National Scientist for his pioneering scientific works in plant genetics and varietal improvement.

Ramon C. Barba, Ph.D. (August 31, 1939)

Graduated from the University of the Philippines, B.S. Agriculture, major in Agronomy and Food Production, in 1958; His field of specialization was Horticulture; He was a Filipino inventor and horticulturist known for inventing a way to induce flowers in mango trees using ethrel and potassium nitrate.

Emil Q. Javier, Ph.D. (September 11, 1940)