After four decades, Dr. Dante Palabrica is recognized by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association for his unwavering commitment to public health and national food security.
Dr. Constante “Dante” Palabrica, DVM, is a man whose name resonates from the high halls of the Department of Agriculture to the humble pig pens of the Philippine countryside. On Saturday, Aug. 16, his already legendary career earned another accolade when the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) named him one of 64 outstanding alumni.
The UPAA recognized a career built on science, service, and a lifelong refusal to back down from a challenge. As one of only eight recipients of the UPAA Alumni Award for Public Health Promotion this year, and the sole honoree representing the Department of Agriculture, Doc Dante is an institution in the livestock world.
After graduating from UP Diliman, he placed 6th in the 1978 Veterinary Medicine Licensure Examination. But to call him simply a veterinarian would be a vast understatement. Doc Dante is a lifer, dedicating over four decades to a single name: Robina Farms. “They call me alamat [legen],” he said in an interview a couple of years ago, using the Filipino word for legend. He truly is.
Under his guidance, Robina Farms built the country’s largest Triple A-certified slaughterhouse—a bold move aimed at positioning the Philippines for pork exports. That vision, however, was abruptly derailed in July 2019 by the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF).
“I buried thousands of pigs,” he recalls somberly, recounting the crisis in meetings with swine industry leaders earlier this year. By then, he had traded his farm boots for a government badge, serving as Undersecretary for Livestock. “Sa tagal ko sa industriya—mahigit apat na dekada sa Robina—alam ko lahat tungkol sa kababuyan.” [I've been in the industry for so long—more than four decades at Robina—that I know everything about pigs.]
He is a man of the people, in every sty, every stockyard, every hoofbeat of the industry.
In the early days of ASF, he was in the literal trenches. Today, he fights from the front lines of policy, armed not only with technical expertise but with the authority and hard-earned respect of his peers. The goal remains the same: to help the nation recover from a viral catastrophe that slashed the country’s pig population from 13 million to 8 million almost overnight.
Yet behind the honors and applause, Doc Dante harbors a quiet frustration. He notes with concern that too many of today's veterinary graduates are choosing comfortable pet clinics over challenging pig pens, prioritizing personal comfort over contributing to national food security.
“We need vets who'll help build the backbone of food security,” he says plainly. Gone are the filters of his younger days as a salesman; these days, he calls it as he sees it. And people will surely forgive the frankness of an octogenarian—he's earned it.
The UPAA's president and alumni regent, Robert Aranton, captured the spirit of the evening best: "A UP education is not a crown worn for oneself, but a torch passed to light the way for others."
Dr. Constante Palabrica doesn’t just wear the crown; he bears the torch. In the glow of that torch, a path is lit for those bold enough to follow, even if that path starts in a pig pen.