Dr. Marian P. De Leon, University Researcher II and Curator of the Microbial Culture Collection of the UPLB Museum of Natural History was recently conferred as Certified Biosafety Officer during the Philippine Advanced Biosafety Officer Training (ABOT) Graduation Ceremony last 01 February 2019 at the Hotel Jen, Pasay City.

The ABOT is a five-week, intensive training program which provides new opportunities to qualified persons to improve Philippine public and animal health by expanding their knowledge on the increased biological risk of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and microorganisms with potential for dual-use. Likewise, the program aims to further strengthen the country's biorisk management system as authorities prepare the National Framework for Biosafety and Biosecurity.

A new species of cave-dwelling spider has been recently described by University of the Philippines Los Banos graduate student Joseph B. Rasalan and Museum of Natural History curator for spiders and moths Dr. Aimee Lynn B. Dupo, the description of which has been published in advance in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity.

Rasalan, a graduate apprentice of Dr. Aimee Lynn B. Dupo is undertaking MS Forestry with forest entomology as focus.

According to the authors, the new spider species Masteria urdujae sp. nov. has been collected under rock debris near the entrance of Pelpel Cave in Brgy. Centro Toma, Bani, Pangasinan during a cave assessment activity by students taking BIO 154 Cave Ecology in 2017.

Japanese universities continued its long-time collaboration with the UPLB College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and the UPLB Museum of Natural History (MNH) to investigate the presence of zoonotic viruses in Philippine bats in a fieldwork held last 24-27 January 2019 at the foot of Mt. Isarog as well as the secondary-growth forest in Mt. Isarog National Park in Naga City, Camarines Sur.

Japanese researchers included Professor Shigeru Kuwa and Ms. Yuki Sugiura (The University of Tokyo), Professor Kentaro Kato and Dr. Frances Recuenco (Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine), Professors Yumi Une and Shumpei Watanabe (Okayama University of Science) and Professor Tsutomu Omatsu and Satoko Sugimoto (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology).

James is home, at last.

On behalf of James, his family and companions in Mt. Apo, we are extremely thankful for the outpouring of love, prayers, financial and emotional support for James and his friends during those days of need and despair:

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MINDANAO

Dr. Jonald Pimentel, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences University of Southern Mindanao in Kabacan, Cotabato and the Department of Biology faculty and staff, especially to Lothy Casim, John Aries Tabora, Bryan Lloyd Bretaña, Teodora Cabasan and Leane Jay Mancera. The Suetos and Javison families of Matalam, North Cotabato.

LGU OF KIDAPAWAN CITY

Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista, City Tourism Officer Joey Recimilla, City Health Officer Dr. Jocelyn C. Etulle-Encienzo, Brgy. Ilomavis Chairman Datu Jimmy Mantawil and the Kidapawan Rescue 911 Team.

DENR REGIONS XI and XII, DENR PASu OFFICE - MT. APO AND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

UP MINDANAO

Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion, through the generous assistance, ground-working and coordination by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nila Oponda and Vice Chancellor for Administration Dr. Antonio Obsioma. The help of Prof. Mac Achondo and Prof. Lief Erikson Gamalo is deeply appreciated.

James DV. Alvarez, an MS Wildlife Studies graduate of the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and University Extension Associate I of the UPLB Museum of Natural History, tragically passed away last 8 December 2018, during a climb of Mt. Apo via Kidapawan, North Cotabato.

Along with several friends on a trip after conducting capacity-building activities for University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, they started their climb of Mt. Apo on 5 December 2018.

Composed of four people from UPLB including James, a companion from USM, and three others (guide, porter and cook/porter), the group started their final ascent at 2:15 AM of 7 December and arrived at the peak at 6:00 AM. After breakfast and staying until 9:00 AM, James and a companion went ahead back to Venado camp (which is 2-4 hours walk) and arrived around 1:00 PM. The remainder of the group joined them at camp by 2:00 PM.

At the Venado camp (2287 masl), James fell gravely ill during the night at around 11:00 PM, vomiting until the next day. His group alerted authorities and decamped Venado camp, descended at around 10:00 AM of 8 December amidst heavy rain, wet and slippery terrain and was able to arrive at Koong camp (1900 masl) by 6:00 PM with porters carrying James.

Myrmecologist David Emmanuel M. General of the UPLB Museum of Natural History has described a new ant species from Mt. Guiting-guiting Natural Park (MGGNP) in Sibuyan Island in Romblon Province, naming it Odontomachus ferminae.

According to General, the ant is actually locally abundant near Camp 1 of the MGGNP situated at around 300 meters above mean sea level. "This new species of ant can be observed foraging along the trails, leaf litter and open ground in the camp," he said. "Its presence in Mt. Guiting-guiting has probably escaped the attention of many other entomologists because ant taxonomy and systematics in the Philippines is just fairly studied," General added.