In a statement on social media, the Faculty of Pharmacy acknowledged the recognition, which “reflects the enduring legacy and pioneering spirit that have shaped our institution and contributed significantly to the development of pharmacy education in our nation.”

UST’s Faculty of Pharmacy is home to five programs, the BS Pharmacy, BS Pharmacy, major in Clinical Pharmacy, the Doctor of Pharmacy, the BS Medical Technology, and the BS Biochemistry programs. Three of these programs enjoy the certifications from the ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance, and the BS Pharmacy and BS Medical Technology programs are accredited Level IV by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA), while the BS Biochemistry program enjoys Level III status.

A leader in academic excellence, research, and professional engagement, the Faculty of Pharmacy is home to decorated academics and leaders. Currently serving as President of the Philippine Pharmacists’ Association is the Dean Dacanay, alongside alumna Ma. Lourdes S. Garganera, RPh (Assistant Treasurer). Recently, Prof. Agnes Llamasares-Castillo, PhD was named as the 2024 National Research Council of the Philippines Achievement Awardee for Pharmaceutical Sciences. Among the Faculty’s most prominent graduates are Ms. Vivian Que-Azcona, President of Mercury Drug Corporation, the country’s leading drugstore chain.

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Among Castillo’s research highlights are drug delivery of natural products and product development. Her work with natural products and pharmacology have been published in journals such as Current Enzyme Inhibition, the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, and Neurotoxicology. Conditions that have been the subject of her studies include Alzheimer’s disease, osteoarthritis, and myeloid leukemia.

A decorated academic, she has been feted with the 2023 The Outstanding Pharmacist Award in Research by the Philippine Pharmacists Association, Inc. and the 2021 Best Mentor in Health Research Award by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. Recently, she was also named a recipient of the 2025 Faces of PACOP Award (Research Category) by the Philippine Association of College of Pharmacy.

Llamasares-Castillo teaches at the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Graduate School and is an academic researcher at the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences. She has recently partnered with Assoc. Prof. Donald G. Manlapaz, PhD, PTRP to establish the GRACE HUB with support from the TOMASInno Technology Business Incubator of the University.

The NRCP Achievement Award was established in 1979 to recognize “members for their significant contributions to their respective fields.” Among UST’s NRCP Achievement Awardees are Prof. Mario A. Tan, PhD (Chemical Sciences, 2023), Prof. Jovencio G. Apostol, PhD (Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2017),  Prof. Allan B. de Guzman, PhD (Governmental, Educational, and International Policies, 2006), and Prof. Maria Natalia R. Dimaano, PhD (Engineering and Technology, 2009).

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Academic researchers Prof. Agnes Llamasares-Castillo, PhD, Prof. Ross D. Vasquez, PhD, Assoc. Prof. Oliver B. Villaflores, PhD, all from the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, joined co-researchers from Singapore’s DELIGHTEX PTE LTD., namely Yutaka Kuroki, Aya Wada, Xinyi Zhu, and UST research assistants Kyle Andrei Cabatit, Jonah Joshua Garcia, and Janelan Martin.

The researchers were able to find thirty-nine plants with sleep-enhancing activities, such as Lactuca sativa, Nelumbo nucifera, and Ziziphus jujuba. The authors found that these plants “demonstrated consistent efficacy in improving sleep quality through interactions with the GABAergic system.” Though thirty-nine plants were identified in the reviewed studies, the researchers caution that “most studies are still preliminary, with the molecular mechanisms behind their sleep-enhancing effects remaining inconclusive.”

The researchers published on February 27, 2025 the review entitled “” in Phytomedicine Plus, indexed in Elsevier. The study is in line with phase 1 of the project funded by Singapore’s DELIGHTEX PTE LTD.

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In a social media post, Manahan dedicated the award to his “family for their unwavering support and to my students, who inspire me to improve my teaching. Most importantly, I thank Almighty God, the source of all blessings. I offer back to you the gift you have given me.”

A seasoned medical technology educator, Manahan has served as Chair of the UST Faculty of Pharmacy’s Department of Medical Technology. Under his term, the Department secured its international certification from the ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance. When UST General Santos opened its BS Pharmacy and BS Medical Technology programs in 2024, Manahan was named the inaugural Director of the School of Health Sciences.

The PFPA Distinction Award was first conferred in 2005 to recognize “the outstanding achievements and contributions of Filipino professionals to their respective professions, either locally or abroad.” Manahan was endorsed by the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists, Inc. (PAMET).

Among Thomasian awardees in past conferment rites is Psychology Professor Marc Eric S. Reyes, PhD.

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Within various technical panels are Thomasian academics and researchers, namely:

ACCOUNTANCY

1. Prof. Patricia M. Empleo, PhD

BIOLOGY, Molecular Biology, and Microbiology

1. Prof. Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz, Dr. rer. Nat.
2. Prof. Rey Donne S. Papa, PhD
3. Prof. John Donnie A. Ramos, PhD

CHEMISTRY

1. Academician Professor Emeritus Maribel G. Nonato, PhD
2. Assoc. Prof. Oliver B. Villaflores, PhD

FINE ARTS

1. Assoc. Prof. Eric B. Zerrudo, PhD

FOREIGN LANGUAGES

1. Prof. Marilu R. Madrunio, PhD (Chair)
2. Prof. Camilla D.J. Vizconde, PhD

GRADUATE TEACHER EDUCATION

1. Prof. Camilla D.J. Vizconde, PhD

LITERATURE

1. Prof. John Jack G. Wigley, PhD

MARINE SCIENCE

1. Prof. Mary Beth B. Maningas, PhD

MATHEMATICS

1. Prof. Ma. Carlota B. Decena, PhD

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

1. Prof. Ma. Freida Z. Hapan, PhD

MEDICINE

1. Prof. Ma. Minerva P. Calimag, MD, PhD

MUSIC

1. Assoc. Prof. Dolores T. Andres, PhD

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

1. Asst. Prof. Kathlene Anne V. Hernandez, MHPEd

OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING

1. Assoc. Prof. Ma. Ninia I. Calaca, MA, MAPhl
2. Prof. Belen L. Tangco, PhD

PHARMACY

1. Prof. Aleth Therese L. Dacanay, PhD (Chair)

PHILOSOPHY

1. Prof. Robert A. Montaña, PhD

PHYSICAL THERAPY

1. Prof. Cheryl R. Peralta, DrPH

PHYSICS

1. Assoc. Prof. Angelita Silverio, MS (ret.)

REAL ESTATE

1. Prof. Eduardo G. Ong, PhD

SOCIOLOGY

1. Prof. Clarence M. Batan, PhD
2. Asst. Prof. Louie Benedict R. Ignacio, PhD

SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

1. Inst. Elinor Bautista
2. Asst. Prof. Judith S. Damian, MS (ret.)

The newly reconstituted technical panels will have a four-year term beginning on January 1, 2025 and ending on December 31, 2028.

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Funded by the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, the GRACE Hub, whose office was inaugurated on September 16, 2024, is a project led by multi-awarded academic researchers Donald G. Manlapaz, PhD, PTRP (Department of Physical Therapy) and Agnes L. Castillo, PhD, RPh (Department of Pharmacy).

Aiming to contribute to the attainment of UN Sustainable Development Goals on Good Health and Well-being and Quality Education, the project aims to fill the void of a “home” to synergize otherwise disparate ideas and efforts to solve various healthcare issues.

GRACE Hub is an Innovation Hub aiming to “lead the advancement of health research and product innovation by promoting and facilitating ideas and concepts to improve the quality of health care for all Filipinos.” As such, it positions itself as the pre-incubation hub of health research products, specifically those currently being supported by the Philippine government through PCHRD. The hub will provide experiential learning for health innovators, who will be trained on having an entrepreneurial mindset, generating creative ideas, and identifying a problem before these are brought to the TomasInno Center for actual incubation of the planned technology.

Operating under the Office of the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, the GRACE Hub will initially help innovators from the UST health sciences programs and the UST Hospital and conduct training sessions to support innovation. Once capacitated, the trained future innovators will be transferred to the TomasInno Center where the ideas can be incubated for commercialization and rollout to the public.

Future innovators may get in touch with the GRACE Hub through their Facebook Page: .

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Landing in the top 10 spots are:

#1 – Riana Beatriz T. Siron, RMT – 92.30%

#3 – Noreen Anne C. Corpuz, RMT – 91.30%

#5 – Reigne Kristy O. Cañada, RMT – 91.10%

#6 – Julius Miguel A. Tizon, RMT – 91.00%

#7 – Kristine Mae D. Servañez, RMT – 90.90%

#9 – Ma. Ruth Naomi Beltran, RMT – 90.70%

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The following are: 1. Prof. Ross D. Vasquez, PhD – Chair 2. Prof. Agnes L. Castillo, PhD – Vice-Chair 3. Asst. Prof. Jay P. Jazul, MSc – Division Secretary 4. Prof. Mary Jho-Anne T. Corpuz, PhD – Section Chair for Pharmacy 5. Prof. Franelyne P. Casuga, PhD – Section Chair for Pharmacopeia Castillo was previously elected as the vice chair for 2021-2023 and division secretary for 2022-2024.

Meanwhile, Jazul was elected as division secretary for 2021-2023. The same year, Corpuz was also elected as the research and development committee chair. The elected executive committee will serve from 2024-2026 and assist the Chair in planning and implementing the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division’s activities.

Apart from their roles in NRCP, in the university, Castillo serves as the Faculty of Pharmacy’s coordinator/supervisor for International Relations.

Casuga is the current coordinator of the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience of the Faculty of Pharmacy, and Corpuz is the Executive Assistant for the Office of the Assistant to the Rector for ľĹÉ«-General Santos City.

Vasquez, Castillo, Corpuz, and Casuga are academic researchers affiliated with the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, while Jazul is affiliated with the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education.

NRCP is the scientific body of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that promotes and supports research for the national interest.

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In an interview with the Communications Bureau, Balitaan disclosed that the Division of Chemical Sciences includes as its main thrusts empowering members “who are globally and highly respected researchers” and continuing “strong linkages with local and international scientific organizations for enhanced cooperation in the development and sharing of scientific information, responsible community leaders in ensuring environment protection, food safety and public health.”

Balitaan’s recent studies have focused “on the development of bio-inspired and biomimetic materials for anticorrosion, antibacterial, antibiofilm, wound healing and sensor applications.”

Both Balitaan and Villaflores are affiliated with the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences.

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The UST passing rate of 87.10% is higher than the national passing rate of 55.19%.

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