My first experience with bats was over 20 years ago as an undergraduate at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines on a shorebird workshop. We checked our nets at night and caught some fruit bats. A few years later, when looking for a topic for my M.S. research (Cornell University, USA) I chose bats because of their ecological roles in tropical forests, particularly seed dispersal and pollination. For my dissertation research (Cornell University) I compared the roles of bats, birds, and wind in forest regeneration as seed dispersal agents - which also offered me the very welcome opportunity to learn about plant identification.
I am currently the president of the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Philippines (www.wildlifeconservation.ph). I have been working with Philippine colleagues and with Bat Conservation International on a Status Report on Philippine Cave Bats (phcavebats.crowdmap.com).
My role in SEABCRU is as a member of the cave bat steering committee. We have had very interesting discussions in person at the Bogor conference and by skype and email and I'm very glad to be part of SEABCRU.