AASP Primary Records Program

Lolita J. Bulalacao

Professor Lolita Jagudilla-Bulalacao passed away on October 16, 2002 from a debilitating breast cancer. She was 60. Known for her admirable work ethic, she had planned to continue her work in the National Museum of the Philippines, Metro Manila, where she had worked for 11 years.

Prof. Bulalacao was born on August 28, 1942 in Iloilo province in the Visayas. Her first job as a secondary school teacher was not an easy one. Nevertheless, she held the post from 1963 to 1978. During this period, in 1974, she obtained her Master's degree in Biological Science from the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Later on, in 1984, she was to achieve her doctorate from the same university. Her apprenticeship with Dr. Romualdo del Rosario, the Head of the Botany Division of the National Museum, as well as being her being a Professor at the University of Santo Tomas, lead to her appointment as Senior Museum Researcher in the Botany Division, of the National Museum in 1991. Shortly after she was awarded the title of Scientist II of the Department of Science and Technology and the Civil Service Commission.

Dr. Bulalacao formally established the Palynology section at the National Museum in November 1981. She undertook and completed ten research projects on pollen. She also collaborated with the Section of Allergy, at the Philippine General Hospital in Metro Manila. Concurrent with her post at the National Museum, she was a Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Perpetual Help, Rizal. Among her many professional memberships, she was a Councillor of the International Federation of Palynological Societies, President of the Philippine Palynological Society, project leader of the National Research Council of the Philippines and a member of various local and international societies for palynology and plant systematics.

She is probably best known for her book 'Pollen Flora of the Philippines, Volume 1'. She started this pollen flora during her postdoctoral fellowship in the Palynological Laboratory, of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, under the guidance of the late Prof. Siwert Nilsson, whom she always referred to as her mentor. It is poignant, therefore, that her obituary and that of Prof. Nilsson appear in the same issue of PALYNOS. Another key figure in her pursuit to publish her pollen flora was Dr.Keith Ferguson of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. Dr Ferguson accepted her proposal to spend six months sabbatical at Kew, where she could spend time producing the pollen preparations and images she so badly needed. During a very happy period spent at Kew, she produced the SEM micrographs to illustrate the pollen flora. In Manila she had no facilities to do this. With further support from the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Council of the Philippines, Part I was published in 1997.

The excellent reviews of The Philippine Pollen Flora which followed in Grana, and the newsletter of the Linnean Society Palynology Specialist Group, as well very positive comments from the Hugo de Vries Laboratory, University of Amsterdam, prompted her to start Volume II. She realised that the lack of laboratory facilities in the Philippines posed a problem, so she arranged to travel to Japan on two separate occasions. Firstly, to Tohoku University, and Okayama University, and then to the Forestry Breeding Centre, Hokkaido to collaborate with Japanese palynologists and to work in their laboratories. Dr Bulalacao was successful in producing good quality SEMs in these laboratories. Unfortunately the demanding work and travel schedule proved too much for her failing health.

Her last trip abroad was to the National Herbarium of the Netherlands in Leiden, where she worked on her contribution for the Flora Malesiana with the help of Dr. Peter van Welzen. She also continued to work on the pollen flora while she was there with Dr. Raymond van der Ham. Soon after this visit Volume II of the 'Pollen Flora of the Philippines'was completed, and ready for press. Sadly, just a few weeks after the project was successfully reviewed by the Department of Science and Technology, she was hospitalized and never recovered.

A loving wife to her husband Jimmy and a caring mother to her daughter Grace. She was a tireless campaigner for pollen studies in the Philippines and her work will be an inspiration to all of us.

Vernie G. Sagun
Ateneo de Manila University
The Philippines