17/05/2026
SAVING THE DUMAN ( Filipino scientists)
Sharing this meal are two brilliant minds who perfectly embody that intersection. To my right end is Dr. Melanie Narciso, a distinguished food and nutrition anthropologist currently lecturing at the University of Vermont. With a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and a history as a board-topping nutritionist from UPLB, Dr. Narciso’s work bridges nutritional science with sociocultural anthropology. Her research into how communities metabolize ecological change through traditional foods provides a profound framework for understanding pamagduman. Through her eyes, this is not just a seasonal delicacy, but a sensory experience and a living memory that binds our community together.
Beside her is Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, center to the left, a world-renowned Filipino plant geneticist, Academician, and the Center Director of SEARCA. Having spent nearly three decades at IRRI developing stress-tolerant rice varieties, his unparalleled expertise—recognized globally from his role as a UN Food Systems Champion to receiving the Ho Chi Minh Medal—brings our discussion down to the very DNA of the harvest. Dr. Gregorio understands the genetic resilience and specific traits required to cultivate the unique glutinous rice that makes our duman possible, especially in an era of climate vulnerability.
The survival of our cherished pamagduman relies on exactly what these two visionaries champion: the rigorous scientific innovation to protect our crops, and the profound anthropological respect to preserve the rituals that turn a harvest into an identity.
With Nuguid Chin Chin , journalist, our partner in documentation.
