Ms. Clarissa T. Reboton

Rarely would you find people who are inclined in both the sciences and the arts. But this lady from Cadiz, Negros Occidental has managed to revolve in both worlds quite naturally. 

Ms. Clarissa T. Reboton is the museum curator at the Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (IEMS). Her project involvements and formal training in marine biology and coastal resources management have earned her a reputation as among the experts in the study of corals. 

Yet, despite what could be her technical responsibilities, she holds close to heart a passion for dancing — one that she developed since a little girl. Iday, as friends and colleagues fondly call her, had formal classes in dancing as early as she was in kindergarten. This continued until she was in college. How she was exposed to the arts she credits to her mother who graduated from the then Conservatory of Music, now College of Performing and Visual Arts, in Silliman. 

Iday's love of research and science may be considered serendipitous. It was after a two-week expedition in Catanduanes, where she was a research assistant in a group with foreign researchers, that she found a niche in the field. Research was not new to her though; it was part of her daily grind as a Biology student. 

It was her mother who sent Iday to Silliman for school. Iday shares that her high school experience in the University was ordinary, describing her performance as “average”. But things took a turn for her in college when as a Biology student, she joined the Silliman Dance Troupe under the directorship of the late Mrs. Liwayway Serion-Arabe. She recalls the opportunities given her to perform at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium, and considers them as vital in building her self-confidence. 

A nature lover, Iday enjoys mountain climbing whenever she has the time. Not many know that when she was in college, she was a member of the Cuernos de Negros mountaineers club. 

After Iday graduated from college with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Biology, she applied as a research assistant at IEMS. The job was closest to her original dream of becoming a veterinarian. Working closely with professors Dr. Hilconida P. Calumpong and Dr. Janet Estacion, former Director and OIC Director of IEMS,  respectively, Iday built her specialization around cephalopods (squids, cuttlefish), meiofauna and corals. She later decided to focus on corals, the study of which she considers to be quite unattractive to some researchers for their intricate nature. Iday is currently engaged in the coral reef rehabilitation project of the marine protected area of Apo Island off Dauin.