University of the Philippines alumni, Atty. Raymond Marvic “Ice” Baguilat and Dr. Deo Florence Onda, were among The Outstanding Young Men 2025 honored in the awards ceremony held Jan. 22 at the Malacañang Palace.
Baguilat and Onda were honored for their remarkable contributions in the fields of law, human rights, and Indigenous Peoples; and marine science and sustainability, respectively.
A Tuwali human rights lawyer, Baguilat has been at the forefront of defending Indigenous Peoples by integrating their rights into the country’s legal and educational systems. He currently serves as the head legal officer of the UP Law Center-Institute of Human Rights. As program head of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, Baguilat has written handbooks, course guides, and training modules on Indigenous Peoples. He also shares his expertise in Property Law and Legal Profession as a senior lecturer at the College of Law, UP Diliman..
Baguilat has also been instrumental in the passage of the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples Development Act of 2024 and in drafting its implementing rules. He has also drafted cultural protection ordinances for the municipalities of Kiangan and Hungduan in his hometown, Ifugao.
He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2011 from UP Law. Baguilat received his pre-law BA Psychology degree from De La Salle University. After his JD, he took his Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne and graduated as an Australia Awards Scholar.
UP microbial oceanographer Onda has established his reputation in the field of marine science. A professor at UPD’s Marine Science Institute, he also serves as the College of Science’s associate dean for research, innovation, development and enterprise.
Widely acknowledged as the first Filipino to reach and explore the Emden Deep — the Earth’s third deepest point located in the Philippine Trench — Onda was acclaimed for advancing research on marine plastic pollution and microbial ecology. In 2019, he led a team of 74 Filipino scientists on a research expedition to the Kalayaan Group of Islands to understand how marine ecosystems respond to changing environments.
Onda finished his BS Biology (Major in Marine Microbial Ecology) degree at UP Baguio in 2008 and moved to UPD for his MS in Marine Science (Marine Microbial Ecology), graduating in 2011. He earned his PhD in Oceanography (Microbial Oceanography) from Université Laval, Canada, and his post-doc at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany.
TOYM is an annual recognition awarded to Filipinos aged 18 to 40 who have made contributions to and meaningful service in their communities. It was established in 1959 and was organized by Junior Chamber International Philippines with the support of the TOYM Foundation, other partners, and stakeholders.
