In a courtesy call made by the winning Philippine Team to the 2002 International Science and Engineering Fair in Malacañang Palace on 26 August 2002, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded Presidential Citation and cash money of P200,000 each to its members.

The honorees during a brief ceremony were Dr. Josette Biyo of Philippine Science High School-Western Visayas, top winner of the Intel Excellence Teaching Award for 2002; Allan Estrella, Jeric Macalintal and Richard Manapat, researchers from the Manila Science High School of a team project on innovative formulated liquid crystals used in dosimetry that won First Grand Award in the Team Category; and Prem Vilas Rara from MSU-IIT, who was a Second Grand awardee in the Individual-Microbiology Category for his project on making use of an extract from the common palakang bukid as antibiotic.

The President personally handed out the awards with the assistance of Dr. Estrella F. Alabastro, Secretary of the Department of Science Technology, and Dr. Caraig Barrett, President and CEO of Intel Corporation, who was in town for a visit to the local Intel Manufacturing plant.

Also in attendance were Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Mar Roxas, DTI Undersecretary Domingo, other Intel officials, Dr. Ester B. Ogena and Dr. Filma G. Brawner, Director and Deputy Director, respectively, of the DOST-Science Education Institute and staff; and the parents of the student-awardees.

The Philippine participation to the 2002 ISEF that was held in Louisville, Kentucky last May was a joint effort of Intel Philippines and the DOST-SEI. The ISEF is the "Olympics" of science fairs participated in by more than thousand young science researchers from the US states and other countries each year.