One of two new species of water scavenger beetles was named after “Angat Buhay,” the social services program of former Vice President Leni Robredo.
The two beetles were discovered by an undergraduate student of Ateneo de Manila University, Enrico Gerard Sanchez, and his thesis advisers, Dr. Emmanuel Delocado and Prof. Dr Hendrik Freitag, the university said Thursday.
Discovered in Ifugao, Anacaena angatbuhay was named “to honor the program’s outstanding and unparalleled service, especially during the pandemic.”
“Moreover, as the species has been thriving unnoticed in a humble mountain creek in Ifugao for at least the last few centuries, dedicating a species name to the Angat Buhay program is a nod to the countless Filipinos silently and persistently working alongside far-flung communities despite the lack of due recognition,” said Delocado in a Facebook post.
The second species was named Anacaena auxilium in honor of the Mary Help of Christian High School Seminary, which Sanchez attended during his junior high school.
The thesis was conducted in the middle of the pandemic using a laboratory-at-home setup.
