PRESS RELEASE

Philippine Embassy, Canberra

1 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600
www.philembassy.org.au    *Tel. No. 02-6273-2535*

15 September 2026, CANBERRA — The Philippine Embassy in Canberra welcomed three Filipino early-career researchers selected to participate in the 2026-2027 Asia-Pacific Academic Mentoring Programme, which brings together 28 mentee-mentor pairs from seven countries across Asia and the Pacific.

The program is facilitated by the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific and hosted by the Australian Academy of Science. This year’s participants come from the Philippines, Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Thailand and Viet Nam.

The Philippine participants include Dr. Dernie Olguera, whose field is agriculture; Dr. Rose Chinly Mae Ortega-Kindica, who specializes in environmental research; and Dr. Julius Ceasar Hortelano, whose field is mathematics education. The researchers will undertake a year-long mentoring programme with established Australian scientists and researchers in their respective fields. Through regular mentoring sessions, workshops and other programme activities, they will work with their mentors to pursue individual research and professional development goals.

As part of the launch, the Philippine Embassy in Canberra, represented by Ms. Julienne Cavida of the Migrant Workers Office, served as a resource speaker during a session with participating mentors on the Philippine research ecosystem. The session formed part of a broader discussion on the research ecosystems of participating countries and aimed to help mentors better understand the contexts (e.g. local needs, institutional and academic structures and cultural considerations) in the conduct of research. - END

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