[3] He was the youngest of seven children, and was raised primarily by his older sisters Betty, Lucy, and Belen Vergara who taught him household skills and chores.

[3] In 1955, he attained his Bachelor's degree[1] in Botany from the University of the Philippines Diliman as a pre-medicine major to become a medical doctor like his father.

[3] In his senior year at UP Diliman, Vergara was recommended to replace a friend who had backed out of an opportunity to pursue a master's degree in the University of Hawaii at Manoa to become a Jesuit priest.

[3] The opportunity to attain a master's degree abroad in place of his friend, was described by Vergara as a turning point in his life wherein his education led him to become a scientist instead of a medical doctor.

[3] Vergara and Juliano were given the task to build the IRRI laboratory from scratch as there were no research programs, gene bank, screening protocols, or other scientists involved.

[1][3] While working in the IRRI and traveling to rice-growing countries, Vergara noticed that farmers and extension workers had difficulty with technical and scientific information about growing rice.

The book centers around Gabby Ghas, a tiny grain of palay on a journey of self-discovery to feed a hungry boy.

[5] Gabby Ghas has won several awards conducted by the Asia Rice Foundation, the Alpha Phi Omega service sorority, and the Philippine Department of Education.