Dr Ruben C Umaly 29 August 1991 - 28 August 1994 Appointment by 26th SEAMEC (IC) Conference, Manila, 1991

Professor Dr Umaly is from the Philippines.  Before his appointment to the top post of the SEAMEO Secretariat, he was first a member of the Governing Board of SEAMEO BIOTROP, then Deputy Director for Programme and SEAWIC Project Coordinator of the Centre.

He received his first degree, Bachelor of Science (Zoology), and Master of Public Health, from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, while his second masteral degree, Master of Science (Radiation Biology), and PhD, were from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

Professor Dr Umaly also took up postgraduate and training courses on biology and other biology-related and public health courses at leading universities in the Philippines, United Kingdom, Japan, Thailand, the Federal Republic of Germany, and The Netherlands.

He was also the recipient of scholarship and travel grants from foremost universities and institutions in the Philippines, France, United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, and the U S A.

Professor Dr Umaly began his teaching career as an Instructor, Public Health, Institute of Public Health, University of the Philippines, Manila, promoted to Assistant Professor in Public Health at the same Institute, then to full Professor of Biological Sciences at the Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman.

He was also a Research Fellow in Radiation Immunology at the Laboratoire Pasteur, Foundation Curie, Paris, France, and Research Fellow in Serodiagnosis of Schistosomiasis at the Bernhard Noch Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, West Germany.

Professor Dr Umaly, during his professorial days, received awards from the University of the Philippines, as follows: De Venecia Professorial Chair in Genetics, Diamond Jubilee Professorial Chair, Most Outstanding Biology Teacher Award, and Outstanding University Faculty Award.

As a Professor of Biological Sciences, he was invited as a resource person and consultant by numerous institutions in the Philippines, and as a UNESCO resource person at a workshop and training seminar in Islambad, Pakistan.

Professor Dr Umaly likewise conducted research in several areas of his expertise, as follows:  parasitology, radiation biology (food preservation, radiation genetics and radiation ecology), and genetics, as well as authored numerous scientific articles, edited special scientific publications of SEAMEO BIOTROP, and co-authored several books on genetics.

In addition, he was invited and participated in international congresses and seminars, held in Japan, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia, Russia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, West Germany, and People's Republic of China, on various areas of biology.

Professor Dr Umaly is a member of numerous societies in the Philippines, such as Phi Sigma Biological Honour Society (former President), U P Zoological Society (former President), Philippine Radioisotope (former President), Philippine Association for Radiation Protection (former Vice President), Philippines Environmental Mutagen Society (former Vice President), Philippine-British Society, Philippine-French Society, and German Society of Parasitology, to name a few.

His knowledge of foreign language include Spanish, French, German, Italian, scientific Russian, Bahasa Indonesia, Nihongo and Chinese.
(Ref.:  SEAMEO Quarterly Vol. 14, No. 2, April-June 1991, Page 15)

	Professor Dr Ruben C Umaly, SEAMEO Secretariat Director, delivering a welcome address to the participants of the International Space Year Conference on "Training in Remote Sensing Applications to Deforestation in southeast Asia" in Bangkok, Thailand on 11-13 November 1991, while (L-R, at the chairperson Table) Dr Suvit Vibulsresth, Deputy Secretary-General, NCRT, Dr Isaac Revah, CNES, Dr Aphirat Arunin, Secretary-General, NCRT, and the keynote speaker at the Conference, Dr Michael Deverge, French Embassy, and Dr He Changhui, Manager-Coordinator, ESCAP/UNDP Regional Remote Sensing Programme listen on.
The French Government, through its Ambassador to Thailand, H E Mr Georges Emile Vinson, on 21 march 1992, presented its 1992 contribution to SEAMEO in the amount of US$607,143 (Thai Baht 15.3 million).  Photo shows H E Mr Vinson (Third from left) presenting the French contribution cheque to Professor Dr Ruben C Umaly, SEAMEO Secretariat Director.  Others, left to right, Mr Tito V Carballo, Miss Prapaporn Agamanon, SEAMEO Secretariat Information Officer and Assistant Director (Finance) respectively, Dr Michel Deverge and Ms Angele Gaullier, French Permanent Representative to SEAMEO, and Counsellor, French Embassy in Bangkok, and Regional Cooperation Attache, French Embassy in Bangkok, respectively.
	During the Fourth Project Advisory Committee meeting reviews SEAMEO-Canada Programme of Cooperation Photo showed SEAMEO Secretariat Director (centre) and representatives of the Canadian Lead Institutions (right) and two Deputy Directors from the SEAMEO Secretariat (left).
Professor Dr Ruben C Umaly, SEAMEO Secretariat Director gave pointer on Srategic Human Resource Development.