admin – Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers Sat, 31 Jan 2026 07:23:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 /wp-content/uploads/2016/08/cropped-pact_logo2-32x32.png admin – Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers 32 32 Chemistry Week 2026 /chemistry-week-2026/ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 07:11:02 +0000 /?p=1902 Read More >>]]> 📣SAVE THE DATE! 📣

In celebration of CHEMISTRY WEEK 2026, the Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers, Inc. invites you to a FREE webinar with the theme:

🧪: From Problems to Play: Transforming Chemistry Classrooms through PBL and GBL

🗓 28 February 2026 (Saturday)

⏰ 8:00 AM

Get ready to explore innovative, engaging, and student-centered strategies in teaching chemistry!

📌 Registration link coming soon. Stay tuned!

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39th Philippine Chemistry Congress Highlights /39th-philippine-chemistry-congress-highlights/ Wed, 30 Jul 2025 04:43:28 +0000 /?p=1850 Read More >>]]> Here are the highlights of the recently concluded 39th Philippine Chemistry Congress with the theme, “Beyond the Orbitals: Exploring the Multi-Realms in Chemistry,” held last July 2-4, 2025 at the Iloilo Convention Center (ICON), Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

The 39th Philippine Chemistry Congress (39PCC) united hundreds of chemists, educators, researchers, students, and industry leaders in a vibrant convergence of ideas and innovations in Iloilo City. Hosted by the Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers – National Chapter (Ƶ-National) and co-organized by the Philippine Federation of Chemistry Societies (PFCS) and Ƶ-Region VI, the 39PCC celebrated chemistry’s evolving role in solving global challenges through the lens of quantum science, sustainability, and digital transformation.

July 1, 2025: Knowledge Building Begins

The event opened on July 1 with a highly specialized Pre-Conference Workshop at the University of San Agustin. Participants explored mass spectrometry and data analytics as indispensable tools in functional food research—an emerging interdisciplinary field blending chemistry, nutrition, and data science.

July 2, 2025: A Grand Kickoff and Scientific Exchange

On July 2, delegates officially launched the congress with a vibrant Opening Program, led by PFCS President Dr. Glenn V. Alea and Ƶ President Dr. Voltaire G. Organo. The parade of colors and ribbon-cutting ceremony energized the start of the main event.

Dr. Cristine Villagonzalo of the UP National Institute of Physics delivered a powerful Keynote Address on “Unworldly quantum ideas and the technologies that arise from them,” setting the tone for thought-provoking plenary sessions. Notable lectures followed, including:

  • Dr. Michelle D. Regulacio on plasmonic metal nanomaterials
  • Dr. Joey D. Ocon on chemistry’s role in energy transition

The day ended on a cultural high with “Orbitals Unleashed”, featuring awards, raffles, an art contest, and a spectacular fellowship and cultural show that showcased Filipino talent and camaraderie among scientists.

July 3, 2025: The Heart of the Congress

July 3 was abuzz with parallel oral presentations, poster sessions, and product showcases. Topics spanned:

  • Nanotechnology, analytical chemistry, and environmental science
  • Food and pharmaceutical chemistry
  • Chemical education and computational chemistry
  • Sustainability, green chemistry, and synthetic chemistry

Six parallel sessions ran simultaneously, moderated by leaders in their respective fields. Attendees engaged with innovations such as bioplastics from agricultural waste, AI and game-based learning in chemistry, and groundbreaking work in medicinal plant research.

The day also featured 13 product presentations, from cutting-edge instruments to novel teaching and research technologies, thanks to the support of leading companies and sponsors.

July 4, 2025: Looking Forward

The final day, July 4, featured government and international perspectives:

  • Mr. Jeffrey A. Aborot of DOST-ASTI discussed computing for R&D in chemistry
  • Dr. Reinabelle Reyes of PhilSA explored the Philippine space ecosystem
  • Dr. Seamus Delaney from Deakin University, Australia, presented on system thinking in chemistry education

The congress culminated in the recognition of exhibitors, awarding of top posters, and the official announcement of the 40PCC.

In Retrospect

The 39th PCC wasn’t just a conference—it was a celebration of Filipino ingenuity, a showcase of collaborative science, and a bridge to future possibilities in chemistry. As we go beyond the orbitals, the PCC reminds us: the real power of chemistry lies in connection—across disciplines, sectors, and borders.

Stay tuned for the 40th Philippine Chemistry Congress!

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39th Philippine Chemistry Congress – Announcement /39th-philippine-chemistry-congress-announcement/ Wed, 02 Apr 2025 03:45:08 +0000 /?p=1832 Read More >>]]> The Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers Inc. (Ƶ), in partnership with the Philippine Federation of Chemistry Societies (PFCS), is delighted to invite you to the 39th Philippine Chemistry Congress ڰdzJuly 2 to 4, 2025, at the Iloilo Convention Center (ICON), Mandurriao, Iloilo City. The theme, “Beyond the Orbitals: Exploring the Multi-Realms in Chemistry, promises an inspiring journey into the intersections of quantum science and chemistry. The Congress will bring together esteemed chemistry practitioners, scientists, and researchers from the industry, academe, and government agencies to discuss and highlight the scientific contributions of quantum science and technology to chemistry. We will focus on how these advancements drive research, foster innovation, and promote sustainable development.

Visit us at .

REGISTER NOW! Use the qr code below.

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#39PCC Pre-Congress Workshop /39pcc-pre-congress-workshop/ Wed, 02 Apr 2025 03:31:44 +0000 /?p=1829 Ready for the 39th Philippine Chemistry Congress? Join us a whole-day workshop on July 1, 2025 at the College of Pharmacy and Medical Technology Building, University of San Agustin, Iloilo City.

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Ƶ-National Hosts imƵ 6 Webinar on Green Chemistry and Sustainable Practices /pact-national-hosts-impact-6-webinar-on-green-chemistry-and-sustainable-practices/ Wed, 26 Feb 2025 13:46:13 +0000 /?p=1826 Read More >>]]> by Ralph Lauren M. Alomia

February 22, 2025 – As part of the 2025 Chemistry Week Celebration, the Philippine Association for Chemistry Teachers – National Chapter (Ƶ-National) successfully hosted its sixth installment of the imƵ webinar series, focusing on “Teaching Green Chemistry and Sustainable Practices.” The virtual event, conducted via Zoom, drew participants from various regions across the Philippines and was accredited by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) with two Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units for Professional Teachers.

The event commenced with opening remarks from Dr. Voltaire G. Organo, President of Ƶ-National, setting the tone for an insightful discussion on integrating Green Chemistry and Sustainable Development into the chemistry curriculum.

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Green Chemistry Integration and Sustainable Education

The first speaker, Mr. Jerald T. Villarmino, R.Ch., Founder of Green Chemistry Philippines, introduced strategies to incorporate Green Chemistry principles into Philippine Chemistry Education. He emphasized the importance of contextualizing lessons around Green Chemistry practices, fostering environmental awareness and sustainability values among learners.  Mr. Villarmino also encouraged participants to join the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) (), an international network for educators and advocates of sustainable chemistry.

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Following this, Assistant Professor Hazel Joyce M. Ramirez, LPT, MAEd., from the College of Education, University of the Philippines Diliman, discussed the role of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) pedagogy in Chemistry education. She highlighted its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and provided actionable methods to integrate Green Chemistry principles such as Atom Economy, Waste Prevention, and Energy Efficiency into high school curricula. Additionally, she introduced Systems Thinking as a framework for teaching sustainability and familiarized participants with the Green and Sustainable Chemistry projects by UN and International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

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A Step Forward for Philippine Chemistry Education

The webinar successfully reinforced the importance of environmentally responsible chemistry education, equipping teachers with innovative tools and strategies to promote sustainability in their classrooms.  The event concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Edwehna Elinore S. Paderna, Executive Vice President of Ƶ-National, who reiterated the organization’s commitment to advancing Green Chemistry education in the Philippines.

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YEAR 2024 Ƶ-NATIONAL General Assembly /year-2024-pact-national-general-assembly/ Sun, 16 Jun 2024 02:35:38 +0000 /?p=1811 Read More >>]]> Written by Jaime Layug and Ashley Yu, Student Apprentices of Reedley International School

Edited by Ralph Lauren M. Alomia

The Ƶ-National held its General Assembly on May 11, 2024 in Sheraton Manila Bay Hotel, Malate, Manila. The program began with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem and an Opening Prayer, followed by a Welcome Message from Dr. Voltaire G. Organo, Ƶ President.

Participants of the Year 2024 Ƶ General Assembly held at Sheraton Manila Bay Hotel, Malate, Manila.

Dr. Edwehna Elinore S. Paderna, Ƶ Executive Vice President, introduced the guest speaker for the event, Mr. Resty C. Collado. Mr. Collado is a science faculty and Innovation and Technology Officer of Miriam College High School.  Mr. Collado’s talk “When Teachers Design: A Confluence of Pedagogical and Content Knowledge” centered on the importance of design thinking in education, and how teachers themselves can also be considered as designers.  He emphasized that in order to foster good learning environments, teachers must refrain from rushing into making a solution when designing. Instead, they should follow steps including explaining the problem, considering various solutions, and evaluating the requirements for each solution.  This follows a problem-solving paradigm.  Mr. Collado also highlighted the difference between designing for students versus designing with them. Considering the students’ strengths and weaknesses is essential for being a good teacher-designer.  This can be applied in writing a lesson plan or in developing a learning material.  Overall, Mr. Collado’s talk provided a unique viewpoint for teachers that aim to continuously improve their students’ learning environment. 

After the talk, the Business Meeting started with the presentation of the official nominees for the elections for the 3 seats for the Ƶ Board of Trustees. There were 7 nominees, namely, Ralph Lauren M. Alomia (UP Los Banos), Vic Marie I. Camacho (Philippine Normal University), Ruel Valerio de Grano (UST College of Pharmacy), Voltaire G. Organo (UP Manila), Edwehna Elinore S. Paderna (UP Diliman College of Education), Ma. Cristina Salazar-Pascua (Centro Escolar University), and Cynthia Talens (Manila Tytana Colleges). The members of the Electoral Council were given the time to vote.

Ƶ’s Business Meeting highlighted on the following, the President’s Report by Dr. Voltaire G. Organo, the Treasurer’s Report by Dr. Fedeliz S. Tuy, and the Membership Committee Report by Ms. Maria Theresa T. Bonus.

During the business meeting, the Ƶ’s apprentices, Ashley Yu, Clarence Cabrido, and Jaime Layug of Reedley International School were awarded with a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition for their invaluable services to Ƶ, which includes graphic designing and research.  These apprentices provided their time and effort to help Ƶ with some of their tasks.  

From left to right: Dr. Voltaire G. Organo (Ƶ President), Clarence Karol Cabrido, Ashley Yu, Jaime Emmanuelle Layug, Maria Florencia Male, Maria Theresa B. Bonus.

Ms. Maria Florencia Male,  Chair of the Election Committee, presented the three newly elected members of the board: Dr. Voltaire G. Organo, from UP Manila, Dr. Edwehna Paderna from UP Diliman, and Asst. Prof. Ralph Lauren M. Alomia from UP Los Baños.  After which, all members of Ƶ’s Board of Trustees took their oath officiated by Dr. Glenn V. Alea, PFCS President.

From left to right: The Ƶ Board of Trustees, Christopher Tristan Sunga, Alejandro Alanano, Ralph Lauren Alomia, Edwehna Elinore Padua, Fedeliz S. Tuy, Dr. Glenn V. Alea (PFCS President), Dr. Voltaire G. Organo, Maria Florencia N. Male, Maria Theresa B. Bonus, Fel Jeremy Joan Odulio, Edlyn Beraquit, Jonathan Derez.

The program was then formally concluded by Dr. Edwehna Elinore S. Paderna, followed by the announcement of the 39th Philippine Chemistry Congress (PCC) on July 2-4, 2025 at Iloilo Convention Center, with the theme: “Beyond the Orbitals: Exploring Multi-Realms in Chemistry.” The theme is in connection with the celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science in 2025.  A video which promotes the Iloilo tourism was then presented on-screen to entice the viewers to attend the 39th PCC.

Finally, a same-day edit was played to the participants to recapture the highlights of the event.

to the video.

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Towards Interdisciplinary Chemistry Education and Research: The 2023 Ƶ National Convention /towards-interdisciplinary-chemistry-education-and-research-the-2023-pact-national-convention/ Sun, 28 Jan 2024 05:03:35 +0000 /?p=1759 Read More >>]]> by Ralph Lauren M. Alomia, RCh, MSc.

The Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers (Ƶ)-National Chapter held its
2023 National Convention at Century Park Hotel, Malate, Manila, on August 17-19,
2023, with the theme, “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Chemistry Education and
𲹰.”
Ƶ members from different parts of the country participated in the event.


The program started with a welcoming message from the Ƶ-National President, Dr.
Voltaire G. Organo, followed by a Keynote Address from Dr. Carlo A. Arcilla, Director of
the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). Dr. Arcilla highlighted the role of
Chemistry Education in Nuclear Research. He also introduced existing research
programs in PNRI.

The first day also includes Plenary Talks on the importance of
“Systems Thinking in Interdisciplinarity” by Asst. Prof. Tristan C. Orbeta from the
College of Education, UP Diliman. Dean Charisse T. Reyes, Faculty of Education from
UP Open University, discussed “The Role of Research in Advancing Chemistry
Education in the Philippines.”
Finally, Mr. Joseph V. Gutierrez from the Bureau of
Curriculum Development of the Department of Education described the ٰշ
Integration in the Revised Science Curriculum.”


The second day features the parallel sessions, which include Oral Paper presentations
that highlight the results of various Chemistry Education research, Show-and-Tell
sessions in pedagogy, and product presentations from sponsors, namely the C& E
adaptive learning solutions, Metrobank, Rex Education, Sigmatech, and Science Star
Corporation.


On the last day, participatory Plenary Talks that highlight the Interdisciplinary
approaches in teaching Chemistry in the context of Coffee Chemistry and Cosmetic
Chemistry were given by Dr. Emmanuel V. Garcia of the Chemistry Department, DLSU-
Manila and Djanne Marie T. Garcia of DJM Gradeur Corporation. Dr. Edwehna Elinore
S. Paderna, Executive Vice President of the Ƶ-National Chapter, concluded the event.

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2023 Ƶ NATIONAL CONVENTION /2023-pact-national-convention/ Mon, 05 Jun 2023 08:59:05 +0000 /?p=1746 The 2023 Ƶ National Convention is finally in-person!

We would like to invite you to join us on August 17-19, 2023 at Century Park Hotel Manila, Malate, Manila.

Click for more details about the National Convention.

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Chemistry Education during the COVID Lockdown /chemistry-education-during-the-covid-lockdown/ Sun, 28 May 2023 07:52:10 +0000 /?p=1712 Read More >>]]> By: Adam Ong and Gabriel Yason 

In March 2020, the Philippines was placed into lockdown due to COVID-19. For schools, this meant having to conduct classes online. This was a big change for both the schools and its students. Chemistry in particular, which was a subject that involved a lot of hands-on experiments, was having difficulty. The laboratories and classrooms normally used for experiments weren’t able to be used due to the restrictions on gatherings. 

So in order to work around the loss of access to the laboratories and in person instruction, teachers and the schools we work at have had to make use of online and at home alternatives. The first of those being Online Science Sites that provide virtual simulation labs, science materials for teaching and games that allow students to see chemical concepts in action. For example, the website has that shows how energy in its different forms and how it changes into them. 

Additionally, finding the video materials to demonstrate lab activities and procedures was yet another niche taken over by these websites. Not every Chemistry Teacher has a set at home so it was sites like the journal that allowed teachers to show students how to do these things with a catalog of videos. Be it Protocols for Testing the Toxicity of Novel Insecticidal Chemistries to Mosquitoes by Brito-Sierra, Kaur, and Hill (2019).

Similarly, for colleges and universities, websites like the one owned by offered access to Virtual Reality Simulations of Lab scenarios. And by doing so, fulfilling the need for students to have practical experience reaching out and “using” equipment and chemicals right in front of them. 

The Lab may not have been available but VR was

On the other hand, these websites  and simulations weren’t the only way that teachers adapted to the online environment. They also found ways to facilitate “Kitchen Chemistry” at home, experiments that empower students to understand scientific concepts while using materials that can easily be found in the Kitchen at home. Such as, the experiment Walking Water, that only required food coloring, paper towels and three glasses to demonstrate the principle of capillary action through the movement of colored water through the paper.

Simple materials teaching a complex lesson

While the use of Kitchen Chemistry was also effective and interesting, schools such as Ateneo De Manila needed students to use more advanced materials. So the Ateneo University’s School of Science and Engineering’s Department of Chemistry decided to send out Chemistry SoSE ChemistryLab@Home Kits full of items like chemical reagents, digital multimeters and pH meters that can’t be substituted by items at home. 

All that in a single blue box

All of these solutions, the online web sources, Kitchen Chemistry and Home Lab Kits, show perseverance when confronted with unexpected scenarios. Chemistry Education suffered from the lockdown but teachers here in the Philippines made the best of a bad situation with these solutions.

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SY 2020-2021 Webinar Series: “Designing Distance Learning Laboratory Classes in Chemistry for Basic Education Teachers” by Carlo Joseph Moskito /sy-2020-2021-webinar-series-designing-distance-learning-laboratory-classes-in-chemistry-for-basic-education-teachers-by-carlo-joseph-moskito/ Sun, 28 May 2023 07:47:12 +0000 /?p=1690 Read More >>]]> By: Adam Ong

In the second Webinar of the #imƵ series titled Designing Distance Learning Laboratory Classes in Chemistry for Basic Education Teachers, by Carlo Joseph Moskito of Quipper Philippines, expresses the difference in teaching chemistry from a hands-on experience to a distance learning setting. Chemistry is a subject that contains a lot of experiments and hands-on activities which can’t be fully made in a distance learning setting. Being in a time where teachers have to think of ways to have laboratory experiments while online, he gives online materials and suggestions that can work while being in a distance learning setup. 

He introduces open educational resources, or OERs, like OERCommons and MERLOT as online resources that can be used to search for ready made materials for laboratory experiments. Additionally multimedia platforms such as Vimeo and YouTube and digital simulations like PhET and CK-12 can be used for demonstration and visualization of experiments. A resource that he particularly likes are home science kits. He expresses his frustration due to the lack of home science kits in the Philippines and wants to create one. It will allow kids to do science experiments at home by purchasing a ready-made kit with all the necessary materials to conduct an experiment.

Other than showcasing available resources, he summarizes the distance learning delivery modes into four. The Printed Modular method has the teacher provide printed worksheets for the students containing clear and digestible steps. It is simple, safe and easy for individualized tasks. Offline Digital, similarly to Printed, uses a worksheet but also uses digital outputs to enhance the outputs. Synchronous is a mix of hands-on experiments and digital experiments during a synchronous class session. Asynchronous is similar but with pre-recorded videos. 

This was only a quick overview of everything to be said. There are many options when it comes to distance learning and thankfully the full talk can be found on the Ƶ YouTube page. With this talk, Carlo Moskito shares considerations and ways to improve distance learning during this time.

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