It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Gelia T. Castillo on Saturday 5 August.
Dr. Castillo was an eminent rural sociologist at the University of the Philippines and a pioneer at our lead center, the International Potato Center (CIP), as the first woman to join the center’s Board of Trustees. A great champion of root and tuber crops, Dr. Castillo was a constant source of advice and inspiration for CIP’s programs in Southeast Asia in the 1990s and early 2000s.
She brought humanity into her work as a social scientist with the impact of agriculture on health, gender, environment and poverty as a focus. A prolific author and noted speaker, Dr. Castillo was awarded the Outstanding Filipino Award in 2004 and was conferred the title of National Scientist by the President of the Philippines in 1999.
Dr. Castillo has been an inspiration for social scientists in her home country of the Philippines and around the world, sharing her knowledge and guidance by participating on boards of organizations in the areas of agriculture and health.
Details on the memorial and on Dr. Castillo’s life and work can be found on the Philippine Sociological Society’s website. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for contributions to the Society.
To read tributes to Dr. Castillo from CIP colleagues, please visit the CIP website.