Newly discovered beetle named after Leni Robredo's Angat Buhay

A biology student from Ateneo de Manila University and his thesis advisers have discovered two new species of water scavenger beetles, one of which has been named after former Vice President Leni Robredo's Angat Buhay program.

Anacaena angatbuhay and anacaena auxilium were found by Enrico Gerard Sanchez and his thesis advisers Dr. Emmanuel Delocado and Dr. Hendrik Freitag from the Ateneo Biodiversity Research Laboratory.

Discovered in Ifugao, the Anacaena angatbuhay was given the name to honor Robredo's anti-poverty program to honor its "outstanding and unparalleled service, especially during the pandemic."

Meanwhile, Anacaena auxilium was named in honor of Sanchez' high school, Mary Help of Christian High School Seminary in Binmaley, Pangasinan.

"The two species were named after two close things to my heart," Sanchez wrote on Facebook. "I was constantly inspired by Atty. Leni Robredo's work as our 14th VP, especially with the mission of Angat Buhay reaching the peripheries."

The study was conducted in the middle of the pandemic with a lab-at-home set-up. It was there where Sanchez studied the species using his microscopes, as well as sorted and dissected them. He would have Zoom consultations with his thesis advisers and transport samples and materials to them through courier services. When the campus reopened, the student was able to continue his research on-site.

Robredo's Angat Buhay program has been turned into a non-government organization advocating for food security and nutrition, universal healthcare, public education, rural development, housing and resettlement, and women empowerment.