The Woman, The Myth, The Legend

by John Kenneth Tria (Allosyndesis)

As she enters the door to the hospital, Baet is enthralled by the bustling lobby filled with people from different walks of life. She looks for her father to bring him some snacks during his duty, walking curiously towards the medical ward, looking around with her innocent eyes.

Captivated, she was thrilled to see women wearing their nursing gala uniforms as they tend to the sick patients. The young girl thought that she wanted to be like them. At that time, she was truly certain of what she wanted to be. But little did she know how life would lead her to become more of an inspiration to her colleagues and students.

Prof. Merlyn S. Mendioro, PhD is considered as one of the best professors of Biology in the University of the Philippines Los Baños, garnering multiple Outstanding Teacher Awards throughout the years. She exudes mastery of every topic she has taught in her BIO 30 classes and one would surely learn a thing or two right before exiting the study hall. But behind a strict demeanor and a hint of a comedic side that she expresses, a myriad of stories full of chances, hardships, and discoveries all leads up to her reputable prestige.

From humble beginnings

Dr. Mendioro grew up in Camp Eldridge, now known as Camp General Macario Sakay in Los Baños, Laguna where her father worked as the head of the medical ward in a hospital. At home, she was called “Baet” by her grandmother, a nickname reflecting her gentleness as a baby. Back then, she would always deliver snacks at the hospital at 9AM every Saturday or Sunday since her dad usually skips breakfast. It was during that time when she became inspired to become a military nurse. But after giving it some thought, she realized the limitations that her family had.

“Pwede naman, pero ‘pag ganoon ang kurso mo, titigil [sa pag-aaral] yung mga kapatid mo,” (It is possible, but if that would be your course, your siblings will halt from going to school,” her father told her after she proclaimed about her dream to be a nurse.

Since taking up nursing was really expensive especially during internship, this unfortunately prompted her to let go of her childhood aspirations. It was 1973 at that time wherein she decided to take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) and chose B.S. Agriculture as her course, since UPLB is known for its excellency in the program which still holds true until now. Dr. Mendioro graduated as a Salutatorian in Liceo De Los Baños, entering UPLB after having successfully passed UPCAT along with 11 of her batchmates and eventually majored in Agronomy.

Contrary to what most people think of her, she was actually relaxed as a student and was content by simply getting a passing grade from her tests for the most part of her undergraduate years. She was insecure of her classmates who were graduates of prestigious schools like Philippines Science High School, UP Rural High School, and Canossa Academy. 

“Makapasa lang ako masaya na ako,” (I am happy with simply passing,) she said.

A change in this mindset was catalyzed when she started taking up her major, wherein her friends lauded her improvement as they started seeing her name on the roster of top scorers in various exams. Her dedication to her studies persistently pursued in her years of taking up Masters for Agronomy, Minor in Plant Pathology. 

The blossoming of opportunities

She did not really consider being a teacher amidst the efforts of her professor to convince her in taking Agricultural Education. But things started to take an immediate turn during the graduation party with her fellow majoring colleagues. Her batchmates were teasing her as Dolores Ramirez, now a national scientist but a professor at that time, was looking at her and hinting that she has a job offer. 

“Ay! Pabayaan mo nagagandahan lang iyan sakin eh,” (Ah! Let her be; she just finds me alluring,) she remembered saying as she jested and tried to brush off her friends’ joke. 

It was not until one brod in her organization encouraged her to apply as a research assistant of Prof. Ramirez on a study about sugarcanes, a subject that piqued Dr. Mendioro’s interest as well. The next day, she was wearing her usual attire—a polo shirt, maong pants, and flat sandals as she headed for the interview. Sure enough she was accepted and started working the day after. She eventually learned that Prof. Ramirez, who was also her professor in BIO 30, looked at her class record and saw that Dr. Mendioro had good grades. What’s amazing is that she started working on April 3, 1978 which was even before her graduation. She consequently worked as a research assistant from 1978 to 1985.

Her first project was about interspecific hybridization of sugarcane (Saccharum) where they crossed S. officinarum and S. spontaneum to produce a F1 hybrids resistant to diseases. The challenging part was the need to produce desirable results for the year end report. The team also had a collection of different varieties of sugarcanes. It was then when she learned about different cytological techniques from their excellent laboratory technician, Luisa Villamael. She made slides showing the meiosis I stage of different accessions where they established the chromosome number, stable division normality and pollen fertility. One of their interesting findings was the fact that the hybrids looked more like sugarcane at higher chromosome numbers while some resemble S. spontaneum at lower chromosome numbers.

According to Dr. Mendioro, the most exciting part of research was writing the publication. In addition, she had the chance to present the results in conferences. In fact, this gave her an opportunity to board a plane for the first time, in attendance to a conference in Leyte. She did not spend anything for travel since it was shouldered by the research budget.

“Kasi yung publication andyan na yan eh, kahit mamatay ka andyan yung publication mo,” (Since the publication is already published, it lasts beyond your death,) she said as she explained the most fulfilling part of her research journey.

During her time in the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) as a research assistant, she had recommended three new research assistants, wherein all of them got permanent items in research. Unfortunately, she was not able to get one herself, much to her frustration. Prof. Ramirez did not want their lives to be monotonous so she let the research assistants teach in a BIO 30 Laboratory one day per week. This teaching opportunity coincided with her masteral studies and at one time, she became classmates with some of her students which put a greater pressure on her.

“Aba, paano maniniwala itong mga ito sa akin, sa mga tinuturo ko kung ‘di ako mag-aaral ng husto,” (Alas, how will they believe me and my teachings if I were not diligently studying,) she said to herself. 

It was then that she started to read her notes in the evening after the class-- a trademark advice that encouraged her students to do so, which she has given throughout her teaching career. As a result, she got perfect marks in the exams which boosted her confidence and proved that good study habits are truly essential. Eventually, the Institute of Biological Sciences (IBS) offered her a teaching position after looking at her student evaluation, but she then decided to decline because of the responsibilities of finishing her master’s degree and the additional difficulty of having teaching as a job.

In the pursuit of a life-long teaching journey

It was not until Dr. Mendioro finished her MS studies when she decided to accept another teaching offer from IBS which led to a 35-year career of teaching full of fond memories. She started on April 15, 1985 wherein she acted as a substitute in BIO 1 Lecture and Laboratory for one Prof. Celia Dela Viña who was then on maternity leave. 

“Inilagay ako doon sa isang professor na nanganak. So pagbalik niya, iniisip ko wala na akong trabaho,” (They gave me the position of a professor who recently gave birth. So when she returned from her maternity leave, I thought I would lose my job.) she said. 

A door opened as Prof. Dela Viña wanted to focus on her children and decided to be a full-time mother. This gave Dr. Mendioro an opportunity to take over the teaching of the course, and the rest was history. In her years in the university, she handled BIO 1, BIO 120 Lecture, BIO 130a, and BIO 131 Lecture and Laboratory. But among her taught courses, she is best known for teaching BIO 30 Lecture because of her proficiency in the subject, having presided the course since 1978. Initially, the lecturer was supposed to be changed every two years. The first among the professors who handled the subject was Dr. Ramirez followed by Dr. Rita Laude, with Dr. Mendioro succeeding the two. However, the supposed successor Prof. Dela Viña refused to take her place, and since then, Prof. Mendioro took over the course for the rest of her career.  She liked telling stories and dropping some jokes from time to time, which kept the class lively and fun to be in. She even laughed with her students and sometimes moved around the lecture hall to ask questions about the lesson. This congenial personality made everyone enjoy her 7AM classes.

During her early years of teaching, Dr. Mendioro took her PhD and requested for a study leave in her 6th year wherein she worked full-time on her research. She was given a grant by the British Council and went to the University of Wales in Cardiff, Wales for four months to do her thesis. She did the cytological methods of her research in the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in UPLB, her studies, including the interspecific hybridization between mungbean (Vigna radiata) and other species such as V. glabrescens, to cite one. 

The Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) had a collection of wild relatives of tetraploid mung beans which they used for crosses but was unsuccessful in producing an F1 generation. She did a cross in vitro and eventually managed to get an F1 generation. This got her excited, but the pods fell off immediately before 14 days which prevented her from generating an F2. Her research answered the problem as she discovered that the endosperm of the embryo degenerates which made it difficult to produce an F1. This study on mung beans won her the Outstanding Young Scientist Award in 1995. Up until now, she is still a member and the president of the Outstanding Young Scientist Incorporated. 

“Syempre tuwang-tuwa ka, kasi yung award na ganyan lifetime na yan eh,” (Of course you will be happy, since those kinds of awards would last a lifetime,) she mentioned as she talked about her initial reaction in winning the award.

The juggling of different roles

Aside from being a researcher and a teacher, Dr. Mendioro is also a loving mother. She got married in 1985, around the same time when she started her PhD degree.  As a mom, she was lenient to her kids and let them study at their own pace. She wanted them to learn how to be independent, where she only served as a guide by reminding them of their exams. Dr. Mendioro is very proud of her family that she even found ways to include them in her lecture slides, particularly on the discussion of heredity. Since she has a lot on her plate, one might think that she may be having difficulties in doing everything, yet she has managed to maintain a work-life balance in all of these years. 

“It’s just a matter of dividing your time,” her tip for those who have a hard time balancing their priorities.

She alloted time for her family during Saturdays and Sundays. Though there were times when she gave an exam in BIO 30 during Fridays and brought home the exam papers for checking, she always stopped doing everything once her husband or any of her family members asked to go somewhere and spend some family time. 

“Ang prinsipyo ko sa buhay, ang trabaho madali yan matapos. Pero ‘pag ako tinatamad, huwag mo ako pilitin kasi walang mangyayari, ‘di ko matatapos iyan,” (I believe that jobs are easily done. But when I grow indolent, do not force me. I would not finish it,) she said while trying to emphasize having quality time with people who matters the most.

An exemplary determination for excellence on-the-job

Dr. Mendioro’s perspective in work has helped her to do the things that she love the most without compromising what is truly important. Although, time management does not mean that she did not have difficulties in teaching. The most challenging for her was starting a topic on the graduate school as she had to see the course through until the end. She was the one who first taught Developmental Genetics and she has since revised the course content every now and then. Today, the course is being handled by Dr. Ma. Carmina Manuel and Dr. Maria Cecilia Reamillo. In addition, she was also the one who started BIO 121: Developmental Biology. She also shared the materials that she used in teaching the subject and gave her successors the leeway to modify the course content.

“Ganun din kami sa lab. ‘Di kami nagdadamutan,” (That is how we are in the laboratory. We share,) she said as she recalls the time when Dr. Ramirez asked her to revise the iconic red book entitled “Lectures in Genetics”. 

She was then added as one of the authors of “Lectures in Genetics”, the book serving as the main reference of BIO 30 and one of the few books in Genetics written by Filipino authors that is currently available in the Philippines. 

Her passion for work is truly unprecedented as she never gets tired of it. Even if she was not feeling well, she felt like her aura changed every time she entered her class as it really meant business. This was the work that she really wanted and loved to do. 

“Hindi ko iniisip siya na trabaho kasi ‘pag inisip mo na trabaho, tatamarin ka. So do something na gusto mo gawin para di ka mapagod,” (I do not regard my work as a job, because when you do, you become shiftless,) she said as she talked about how she treated teaching as her work.

She cannot imagine herself checking more than 300 exam papers when she was not enthusiastic or when she felt lazy of doing her job. The motivation to check exam papers was granted by her students who were also excited in taking the exam, which made her thrilled to know about their performance and class history. Never in her history of teaching did she leave the exams unchecked for two weeks as she always returned them immediately. 

A sudden change in routine

Fast forward to when COVID-19 struck the whole world and classes shifted to online platforms, Dr. Mendioro did not waste any time, and immediately made her course pack and recorded her lectures. Since she was not tech-savvy, she appointed Prof. Emmanuel Galang as her assistant and he posted the course materials in Google Classroom as the designated learning platform. What made it challenging for her were the late submissions since they had to become lenient on the deadlines in order to account for the difficulties of everyone, given the current situation of the country. The piling up of to-be-checked requirements and the vast difference in the flow of thought in the submitted essays were also some of the obstacles she experienced. Nevertheless, her love for teaching was stronger than the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

On more awards and breakthroughs

As a professor, the most memorable moment for her was when she was recognized as one of the recipients of the Outstanding Teacher Award in Biological Sciences, which she received for the first time in 1992 and a second time in 2006. There were also times when gets free consultations in the hospital as some of the doctors were actually her former students.

“Nararamdaman mo na narecognize ka ng mga estudyante mo at nagpapasalamat sayo,” (You feel recognized by the students who are grateful to you,) she said as she recalled some of the moments that she cherished with her students. 

As a summit to her teaching career, she was appointed as the 9th director of IBS and held the position for six years from 2015 to 2021. Dr. Mendioro also kept on winning several awards even in her later years in the university, including the 2019 Outstanding Scientific Paper Award with her co-authors Khris Callano and Visitacion Huelgas.

Looking back and looking forward

As they say, everything must come to an end. As she turned 65 years old last January 26, 2021, the time came for Dr. Mendioro’s farewell to 42 years of service in the university. Though not wanting to retire just yet, she had already reached the mandatory retirement age in the Philippines. However, the end of her teaching career means a new beginning. In fact, she plans to start farming fruit trees in Mindoro.

“I will be travelling the same path all over again,” she said when asked about what she would tell to young Merlyn after everything that she has been through.

Looking back, she suddenly believed that that teaching was actually her destiny. Back in high school, they had a religion subject wherein they were required to teach elementary students. They made lesson plans and activities for the kids while their teacher observed how they handled the class, in which she was the highest in the evaluations. This somehow served as an overlooked hint for her future inclination with teaching. 

“Every step of the way, I learned. I was able to meet a lot of people. I was able to go to different places not only in the Philippines but outside [the country, as well],” she said as she reminisced about her experiences.

Leaving her legacy, sharing the passion

Dr. Mendioro values her interaction with different scientists around the world and the country. Her students whom she managed to advise back then are now also performing well in their respective fields. She feels fulfilled for being one of the reasons for their success. Her path towards teaching and learning has made rippling effects of excellence in the sciences, which is one thing her students and colleagues will forever remember her for.

As a final note, Ma’am Mendy wanted to impart a message to everyone who wants to pursue the field of Genetics:

“Exciting ang Genetics, [and] although ang impression na makukuha mo from other people ay mahirap, ang isipin ninyo is iyong matutunan niyo [when] you major in genetics. Kasi kapag genetics ang major mo, kahit saan ka dalhin you can offer explanation. If you know the different field[s] of genetics, you can always offer an explanation whether you are dealing with plants, microorganisms, animals, and even humans. ‘Wag matakot sa genetics kasi it is the most interesting and fascinating field in biology! Kahit saan ka dalhing field ng biology, may genetics diyan.”

(Genetics is exciting, and although the impression you will receive from other people is its difficulty, you have to think about the lessons in store for you when you major in Genetics. Because if genetics is your major, you can offer an explanation wherever field you will find yourself. If you know the different fields in genetics, you can always offer an explanation whether you are dealing with plants, microorganisms, animals, and even humans. Do not let genetics intimidate you, because it is the most interesting and fascinating field in biology! Wherever field Biology would take you, you will surely find genetics.)