Renato Solidum Jr. | |
---|---|
9th Secretary of Science and Technology [1] | |
Assumed office August 13, 2022 [lower-alpha 1] | |
President | Bongbong Marcos |
Preceded by | Fortunato de la Peña |
Undersecretary for Scientific and Technical Services | |
In office 2019–2022 | |
President | Rodrigo Duterte Bongbong Marcos |
Succeeded by | Usec. Maridon O. Sagahun |
Undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction Climate Change Adaptation | |
In office 2017–2019 | |
President | Rodrigo Duterte |
Director of PHIVOLCS Officer in charge [lower-alpha 2] | |
In office 2003–2022 | |
President | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Benigno Aquino III Rodrigo Duterte Bongbong Marcos |
Preceded by | Raymundo Punongbayan |
Succeeded by | Dir. Teresito C. Bacolcol |
Personal details | |
Born | Renato Umali Solidum Jr. |
Nationality | Filipino |
Alma mater | University of the Philippines (B.S.) University of Illinois Chicago (M.S.) University of California,San Diego (Ph.D) |
Occupation | Geologist |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Geology |
Institutions | Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology |
Renato Umali Solidum Jr. is a Filipino geologist and government official. Solidum has been Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) since August 13,2022. [2] [3] Before his appointment as Secretary,Solidum served as an Undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change Adaptation at DOST and as the Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
Solidum is from the town of Odiongan in Romblon province, [3] where he attended high school. [4]
Originally,Solidum wanted to be a civil engineer and took the entrance examination for University of the Philippines,though he passed the exam,he was ineligible to enroll in an engineering course as it only accepted a limited number of students each year. Instead,he enrolled in geology with the intention of later switching to the engineering. However,he decided against this and earned a bachelor's degree in geology. [4]
He also studied in the United States at the University of Illinois Chicago,where he obtained a master's degree in geological sciences. Then he earned a PhD in earth sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California,San Diego. [5]
Solidum has been part of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) since it split off from the Philippine Atmospheric,Geophysical,and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in 1984. [6] He was hired shortly after graduating from the University of the Philippines,with the endorsement of then-director Raymundo Punongbayan. [4]
He first received international attention in 1991 when PHIVOLCS director Punongbayan tasked him to work with the United States Geological Service gathering data at the then restive Mount Pinatubo. The findings of the team led to Punongbayan to raise an evacuation alert in the area prior to a major volcanic eruption saving thousands of lives in Central Luzon. [6]
From 2003 to 2017 he served in PHIVOLCS as its director and then Officer-in-Charge from March 2017. [7] He was also appointed as Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA). [5] In 2019,he became undersecretary for Scientific and Technical Services. [3]
Solidum was appointed as ad interim DOST Secretary by President Bongbong Marcos on July 22,2022. [5]
In recognition of his contributions to disaster risk reduction in the Philippines,Solidum has received numerous awards,including: [7]
Solidum is married and has three children. [5]
Mayon, also known as Mount Mayon and Mayon Volcano, is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay in Bicol, Philippines. A popular tourist spot, it is renowned for its "perfect cone" because of its symmetric conical shape, and is regarded as sacred in Philippine mythology.
Taal Volcano is a large caldera filled by Taal Lake in the Philippines. Located in the province of Batangas about 50 kilometers (31 mi) south of Manila, the volcano is the second most active volcano in the country with 38 recorded historical eruptions, all of which were concentrated on Volcano Island, near the middle of Taal Lake. The caldera was formed by prehistoric eruptions between 140,000 and 5,380 BP.
Dr. Raymundo Santiago Punongbayan was the former director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) from 1983 to 2002. Punongbayan became popular after handling two well-known calamities, the 1990 Luzon earthquake and the 1991 Pinatubo eruption. PHIVOLCS is the government agency in charge of conducting volcanic and earthquake monitoring in order to generate data that could be used to predict volcanic eruptions and earthquake occurrences.
The Department of Science and Technology, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the coordination of science and technology-related projects in the Philippines and to formulate policies and projects in the fields of science and technology in support of national development.
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The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the protection of life and property and in support of economic, productivity, and sustainable development. It is one of the service agencies of the Department of Science and Technology.
The 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake and tsunami occurred on August 17, 1976, at 00:11 local time near the islands of Mindanao and Sulu, in the Philippines. It measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale occurring at a depth of 20 km (12 mi). The earthquake was accompanied by a destructive tsunami that resulted in a majority of the estimated 5,000 to 8,000 fatalities. It was the deadliest and strongest earthquake in the Philippines in 58 years since the 1918 Celebes Sea earthquake.
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The 2012 Negros earthquake occurred on February 6 at 11:49 PST, with a body wave magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum intensity of VII (Destructive) off the coast of Negros Oriental, Philippines. The epicenter of the thrust fault earthquake was approximately 72 kilometres (45 mi) north of Negros Oriental's provincial capital, Dumaguete.
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The secretary of science and technology is the head of the Department of Science and Technology and is a member of the president's Cabinet.
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The PHIVOLCS earthquake intensity scale is a seismic scale used and developed by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to measure the intensity of earthquakes.
On July 6, 2017, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Leyte, causing at least 4 deaths and 100 injuries. The quake also caused power interruptions in the whole of Eastern Visayas and nearby Bohol.
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