Slain Scientist Honored for Championing Philippine Maritime Rights

Negros Oriental Rep. Janice Degamo on Thursday paid tribute to Dr. Kent Edward Carpenter, who was killed in his home in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, last Sunday, citing his contributions not only to marine science but also to advancing the country’s maritime entitlements. In a statement, Degamo noted how Carpenter devoted much of his life to the Philippines, not only by advancing marine science and championing the protection of marine biodiversity, “but also by standing with our country in defending what is rightfully ours.” “As an expert witness in the Philippines’ 2016 West Philippine Sea arbitration, his scientific expertise helped demonstrate the environmental damage caused by destructive activities in our waters and strengthened the case that upheld our country’s maritime rights under international law,” she said. “His passing is a tremendous loss to the scientific community, to the countless Filipino researchers and students he mentored, and to every Filipino who values our oceans and our national patrimony,” she added. Carpenter was a Research Associate of Silliman University in Dumaguete City and Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University in Virginia, USA. He made groundbreaking contributions that transformed global understanding of Philippine marine biodiversity, Silliman University said. Among others, his research identified the central Philippines, particularly the Verde Island Passage, as the world’s center of marine shore fish diversity. Among his most significant recent contributions was his leadership of the Albatross Re-Collection Project, a landmark evolutionary genomics research initiative that revisits the historic collections of the US Fish Commission Steamer Albatross, which surveyed Philippine waters more than a century ago, Silliman University said.