An adventure in applied science - IRRI books - International Rice ...

16 History of the International Rice Research Institutelater, Nepomuceno resigned to devote more time to her family. Her efforts onIRRI’s behalf had been constant and tireless. Henrietta Tinio was hired assecretary in the new office.Although IRRI would be administered from Los Baños, a Manila headquarterswas essential, then as now, to expedite communications, travel, purchasing,customs clearance, and the like, and to extend necessary services toInstitute visitors from abroad. For those matters, Ifor Solidum had been hired1 June as administrative assistant. He was later advanced to administrativeassociate.From late 1959 through 1961, several types of concurrent activities wereinvolved in IRRI’s establishment:• Architects were hired, and building plans were drawn and redrawnmany times. Specifications and working drawings prepared by the architectswere given to selected contractors for bidding, and the buildingswere erected.• The members of the Board of Trustees were selected and several boardmeetings were held.• Most of the senior scientific staff were interviewed and hired in 1961.Details are in Chapter 2.• Land was purchased by the College of Agriculture at Los Baños andleased to IRRI by the University of the Philippines for a token fee. Inaddition, the terms of the relationship between IRRI and the College ofAgriculture were defined and agreed upon.• Various negotiations took place between IRRI and the Government of thePhilippines, including the preparation and signing of the Memorandumof Understanding between the Government and the Ford andRockefeller Foundations, the incorporation of IRRI under the regulationsof the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines, and theplacing of the bill before the Philippine Congress assuring IRRI ofcontinuing tax exemption privileges.On 6 October 1959, soon after my arrival in the Philippines, I went to LosBaños to discuss the land purchase situation with Dean, Uichanco and Umali,who was to replace Uichanco as dean of the College of Agriculture. I wasinformed that the 40 ha of land (which turned out to measure 37.6 ha) had beenbought with funds from an $80,000 grant from the Ford Foundation (themoney being used also for land surveying, legal fees, and tenants' relocationexpenses).Umali stated that 31 ha adjoining the acquired tract could be purchased. Iagreed that an option should be obtained on that land and that I would get intouch with both foundations and request that the sum of $75,000 be transferredfrom the Ford Foundation to the University of the Philippines for the additionalland and expenses connected with its acquisition. The additional tractwas purchased by mid-1960.The University agreed to lease to IRRI all the land for building sites andexperimental farm for the token sum of one peso per year for a period of 25years, with an option for renewal for a second 25-year period.